Maria Pia Gardini

Maria Pia Gardini (born 14 October 1936, Rovereto) is an Italian entrepreneur and a former Scientologist.

Now retired, she lives in Tuscany and is one of the most critical voices of the Church of Scientology. She is the cousin of Raul Gardini and worked in film and cinema advertising until 1985. That year, following her daughter and also to help in the process of detoxification from drugs, she entered into Scientology. She remained in that organization until 1994 after reaching the highest levels of technical Scientology (reaching the highest level available today: OT VIII) and becoming one of the most brilliant and appreciated "auditors" of the movement, resulting in the 1989 and 1990 Recognition of Scientology as the best "auditor" of the year. She has taken a strong critical attitude towards Scientology after she left it. From 1994 to 2002, she lived in Tunisia and worked as an entrepreneur.

Her years in Scientology

In the mid-80s, Frederica, the daughter of Maria Pia Gardini, entered a Narconon center which belongs to the Church of Scientology. She convinced her mother, who was going through a difficult period because of her father's death, to attend the first of Scientology auditing sessions.^[1] Here her career within the organization began, through a disbursement of growing sums of money, and she became one of the most popular Scientology auditors (auditor Class IX). She reached the highest positions of the organization by entering the Sea Org. On 18 October 1990, her 29 year old and OT VII daughter died. In 1991, the leadership of the organization denied Gardini permission to see her mother who was ill, because as Gardini said "the fact that my mother was dying was not important". In 1994, after spending nearly two million U.S. dollars, Maria Pia Gardini began the "procedures" that Scientology demands to be respected and followed by those who leave the organization.^[2]

The Church gave her back 500.000 $.^[3]

Criticism of Scientology and harassment

After leaving Scientology, Maria Pia Gardini, who was experiencing near bankruptcy, began to recount her experience and her years within the organization in the media. She published a book. Her testimony was very important as it came from a person who had reached the highest levels of the movement. It is also considered by the Church of Scientology as an inconvenient and unwelcome testimony since it evoked harassment and pressure from the organisation. The Church of Scientology replied that the criticism of Maria Pia Gardini is false as it comes from an apostate. In 2005, Gardini said she was a victim of harassment from the Church. She is a member of an anti-cults association.

Bibliography

• Maria Pia Gardini; Alberto Laggia, I miei anni in Scientology, Paoline editions, 2007. ISBN 9788831533164
• Alberto Laggia, Maria Pia Gardini, Il coraggio di parlare. Storie di fuoriusciti da Scientology, Paoline editions, 2009. ISBN 9788831536899

Scientology portal

References

1. ^ "Maria Pia Gardini: comment une riche héritière italienne s'est fait escroquer 2 millions de dollars par la scientologie (Sole delle Alpi, novembre 2002)" (in French). antisectes. 2002. http://www.antisectes.net/gardini-sole.htm. Retrieved 12 July 2010. 
2. ^ "OT8 italiana smaschera Scientology (Parte Prima)" (in Italian). xenu. http://xenu.com-it.net/txt/mariapia02.htm. Retrieved 12 June 2010. 
3. ^ Antonella Amendola (March 2001). "Raul Gardini's cousin exposes the "church" of Hollywood stars". Oggi Magazine. http://www.lermanet.com/scientologynews/italy/oggi-maria-0301.htm. Retrieved 12 July 2010. 

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Name	Gardini, Maria Pia
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Date of birth	14 October 1936
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