France Upholds Ruling on Scientology

France’s top court has upheld a lower court ruling that said Scientologists are free to proselytize and practice their religion. However, the Court of Cassation emphasized that it was not recognizing Scientology as a religion.

The high court’s ruling came in connection with a 1997 appeals court decision that found that nine Scientologists in the city of Lyon had been convicted of corruption and theft without sufficient evidence. The case stemmed from the suicide of a church member, who prosecutors said killed himself after being pressured by the church to raise additional funds for Scientology courses.

The lower court had said the Church of Scientology--currently classified as a “sect” in France--should be referred to as a “religion,” but the Court of Cassation stressed Wednesday that it lacked the authority to decide whether Scientology is a legitimate religion.

As it is in many nations, Scientology is controversial in France, where a government commission has included it on a list of more than 170 religious movements and institutions it considers suspect and possibly dangerous. Many of the groups, such as Scientology, originated outside France.

The church has been fighting to be declared a religion, a designation that carries with it considerable tax benefits and would offset the commission’s action.