Mexico City's Night Sky Lights Up With Opening of Scientology Church for Del Valle

Passion and dedication fuel Scientology expansion as spectacular new Ideal Church rises as a beacon of freedom on the Mexico City skyline

MEXICO CITY, March 2, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- On Friday, March 1, mariachis played as searchlights danced in the night sky above Colonia del Valle, one of Mexico City's oldest and most vibrant neighborhoods. In synchronized celebration, a Grand Opening ribbon fell, fireworks lit up and thousands cheered, welcoming the new Church of Scientology Del Valle.

Prominently visible from a mile away, festive music and excited chatter filled the 55,000-square-foot facility as Del Valle's new Ideal Org opened to herald the ongoing expansion of the religion. The new 12-story Church stands just off Avenue Universidad in Del Valle, its towering, 80-foot illuminated Scientology sign now extending a welcome to the most populous city in the Western Hemisphere and the largest Spanish-speaking city in the world.

That emphatic welcome arrived with authority when Mr. David Miscavige, the ecclesiastical leader of the Scientology religion, took the stage to address all present. "Remember, the very essence and life force of an Ideal Org is, as our Founder envisioned, 'An activity where people came to achieve freedom and where they had confidence they would attain it.' That is what we celebrate today. It is the gift you are extending. And the vision made true by you, the heroes of this movement, in creating this Ideal Org," Mr. Miscavige said. "You want to see history in the making in this Latin American megacity? Well, the moment is upon us—right here and right now."

Among the dignitaries and social leaders on hand was Mr. Cristian Badillo, Director of the National Consciousness for Religious Freedom Foundation. Accordingly, Mr. Badillo spoke of Scientology Founder L. Ron Hubbard's 21 precepts for better living in The Way to Happiness as a crucial tool to build unity among people of all beliefs.

"To realize the Mexico we want, the truth inside The Way to Happiness must be passed on, person to person, until it stretches from Baja to the Yucatán," Mr. Badillo said.

"I've been privileged to deliver the precepts into barrios and congregations of faith. I've delivered them into juvenile prisons. And, just as I personally experienced, I witnessed others have their own recognition of the truth. A truth as certain as the ground beneath one's feet. At which point, it was undeniable: L. Ron Hubbard has written a universal language. And we owe it to humanity to tell people of every background, every faith, everywhere, 'You can discover your own way to happiness!'"

Congressman Luis Zamora Romero was also an honored guest. Mr. Romero has dedicated his life to fighting for equal rights and, among numerous posts, serves as a member of Nayarit State's Justice and Human Rights Commission.

"I searched sky and earth for ways to show people their human rights—until I discovered you," Mr. Romero said. "We share the belief that human rights are not only a right, but a duty from one person to another.

"That's why we have taught both the victims and those who violate them. We even hosted a national youth day celebration with over 7,000 in attendance. Working together, we arranged 9,000 Human Rights booklets on the ground to spell out 'Know Your Human Rights' and thus creating the longest such sentence in history. In so doing, we not only demonstrated our collective dedication, we set a Guinness World Record! And so, united we will soon set another world record as the largest movement on Earth."

Mr. Fabián Aranda García, an attorney and legal advisor to the National Human Rights Commission, furthered the theme of benevolence and social betterment. Mr. García is also a professor of Ethics and Health Legislation at the National Autonomous University of Mexico and has worked for nearly a decade with the Church of Scientology and the Church-sponsored mental health watchdog, the Citizens Commission on Human Rights (CCHR).

"The pursuit of justice is what drove my most important challenge—and thus my partnership with the Church of Scientology and CCHR," Mr. García said. "It was when a new law declared, a doctor could lock an individual up and decide the person could no longer determine the future of their own health, their money, their education. Because, in the eyes of the law, they are just a zero.

"If I didn't fight this, I wasn't a victim, I was an accomplice. With you we went straight to the National Parliament. We presented our cases and gave Mexico's leaders the facts. And with the future of thousands—even millions in the balance—we won, and that totalitarian law was canceled!"

Father Manuel Corral, Executive Secretary of Institutional Relations of the Catholic Church in Mexico, spoke to the essence of unity the day signified. "It's time to no longer make any distinctions between any creeds," Father Corral said. "We may all have different ideologies, but we must all fight as one. And by your every action you have demonstrated an authentic religious unity, and you have actually brought religions together.

"This is my dream come true. And this is your Founder's dream come true. What's more, you have planted a symbol of that unity in this soil—and it is an awe-inspiring wonder before our eyes. As we celebrate this glorious new Church of Scientology, let's now dream of a better Mexico City and a brighter Mexico. And in honor of Mr. Hubbard, let's make it a reality—together!"

The new Del Valle Ideal Org provides the city with an introduction to Dianetics and Scientology, beginning with the Public Information Center. Its displays, containing more than 500 films, present the beliefs and practices of the Scientology religion and the life and legacy of Founder L. Ron Hubbard. The Information Center also offers a detailed overview of the renowned Church-sponsored humanitarian programs—including a worldwide human rights education initiative; far-reaching drug education, prevention and rehabilitation programs; a global network of literacy and learning centers; and the Scientology Volunteer Minister Program, which has become one of the world's largest independent relief forces. The center is open morning to night for visitors to tour at their leisure and return as often as they wish.

The Church's Chapel provides for Scientology congregational gatherings, including Sunday Services, Weddings and Naming Ceremonies—as well as a host of events open to members of all faiths in the name of community collaboration. The new Church further includes multiple seminar rooms and classrooms, in addition to an entire floor of rooms for Scientology auditing (spiritual counseling).

Ideal Church Organizations (Ideal Orgs) realize the fulfillment of Founder L. Ron Hubbard's vision for the religion. They not only provide the ideal facilities to service Scientologists on their ascent to greater states of spiritual awareness and freedom but are also designed to serve as a home for the entire community and a meeting ground for cooperative efforts to uplift citizens of all denominations.

The Grand Opening of the Ideal Church of Scientology Del Valle is Mexico City's second Ideal Org. The first was dedicated as the magnificent National Church, directly adjacent to the Fine Arts Palace and neighboring the National Supreme Court and National Palace. Owing to the ongoing and explosive expansion of Scientology, a future 330,000-square-foot Ideal Advanced Organization that will serve the 21 nations of Latin America is also currently under construction in Mexico City's Las Lomas.

The Del Valle Grand Opening follows the dedication of the Church of Scientology Austin, opened just last weekend, right across from the University of Texas campus on the bustling central corridor known as The Drag. All told, the Church has opened new Ideal Organizations in major cities all over the world, including in the Latin American capital of Bogotá; London, Birmingham and Dublin in the British Isles; throughout Europe in Brussels, Rome, Milan, Padova, Madrid, Berlin, Hamburg, Stuttgart, Copenhagen, Malmö, Amsterdam, Basel and Budapest; in the Middle East at Tel Aviv; all along the Pacific Rim at Tokyo, Kaohsiung, Auckland, Sydney, Melbourne and Perth; in South Africa at Johannesburg and Pretoria; and more in Canada at Québec and Cambridge.

The unprecedented expansion for the Scientology religion is further represented by the opening of new Ideal Church Organizations across the United States, including New York City, Harlem, Buffalo, Washington, DC, Atlanta, Tampa, Orlando, Miami, Nashville, Cincinnati, Columbus, Detroit, Twin Cities, Kansas City, Dallas, Denver, Salt Lake City, Phoenix, Las Vegas, Portland and Seattle. And in California alone, at Sacramento, San Francisco, Los Gatos, San Jose, Silicon Valley, Ventura, San  Fernando Valley, Pasadena, Los Angeles, Inglewood, Orange County and San Diego.

For a complete list of Ideal Churches of Scientology, visit Scientology.org/IdealChurches.

To disseminate the Scientology message still further and answer the overwhelming interest about the religion, the Church launched its own satellite TV channel, Scientology Network, on DIRECTV Channel 320, which also live streams on Scientology.tv, as well as on multiple platforms in 17 languages across 24 time zones.

SOURCE Church of Scientology International