Church official: scientologists, Jehovah’s Witnesses are American agents

Moscow, January 30, Interfax – The head of the Synodal Department for Church and Society Relations Archpriest Vsevolod Chaplin, believes Russia should not give favorable treatment to scientologists and Jehovah’s Witnesses.

“From my viewpoint, it is not surprising that scientologist offices are now being searched in connection with fraud,” he told Interfax-Religion on Friday.

According to earlier reports, police and special service officials searched the building rented by scientologists in Moscow’s Taganskaya Street on Thursday evening.

The Church representative said he does not know “what quasi-religious structures that are run from the U.S., collect information on our citizens and have a strict administration vertical and a powerful data storage system are doing in Russia.”

The priest said that in a situation when Russia is declared the main threat in America “it would be strange to give these organizations a favorable treatment, especially bearing in mind that many of them are openly saying that they would like to change our people’s consciousness and historical path without listening to their will, and often openly challenging it.”

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