Joy Is the Watchword as Family Members Reunite at the Church of Scientology

Promoting Universal Declaration of Human Rights Article 16: The Right to Marriage and Family

Imagine the excitement when 680 family members, some of them separated for 20 to 25 years, see each other for the first time at a reunion at the Church of Scientology of the Valley, thanks to the advocacy of two Los Angeles-based community leaders.

A brass band boomed a welcome as family members entered the chapel of the Scientology Church. The special celebration brought together parents who were seeing their children for the first time in many years. Children who had never met their grandmothers and grandfathers could not contain their excitement. 

 

The reunion was organized by community leaders and human rights advocates Fidel Gomez and Daniel Gustavo Santago, both immigrants from Oaxaca, in coordination with Oaxaca Governor Alejandro Murat Hinoyosa. 

“It’s been 23 years since I’ve seen my children,” said one of the grandmothers.

“I feel reborn,” said a man who hadn’t seen his parents in 18 years. “I’ve been longing for this moment.”

The program that brought these grandparents to Los Angeles has reunified more than 1,300 Oaxacans with their Los Angeles-based families since the program began in 2017. And their visas permit them to come and go to the U.S. for family visits for the next 10 years.

The Church of Scientology of the Valley works with community leaders and groups throughout greater Los Angeles to address issues and fulfill the needs of those living in this multicultural megalopolis. L.A. County is the most populous county in America. It is home to people from over 140 countries who speak more than 200 languages. An estimated 350,000 indigenous Oaxacans live in California, with some 180,000 living in Southern California.

But the importance of family is common to all. And the Church of Scientology Valley, located at 11455 Burbank Blvd. in North Hollywood, was thrilled to support such a positive message and activity.

The Church of Scientology and Scientologists are deeply committed to human rights and sponsor United for Human Rights, an international, not-for-profit organization dedicated to implementing the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Two of the Declaration’s 30 articles are particularly relevant in the celebration of these family reunions:

Article 13: The Right to Move 

• Everyone has the right to leave any country, including his own, and to return to his country.

Article 16: The Right to Marriage and Family

• The family is the natural and fundamental group unit of society and is entitled to protection by society and the State.

Serving an expanding community of Scientologists in North Hollywood and the San Fernando Valley since its dedication in March 2017 by Scientology ecclesiastical leader Mr. David Miscavige, the Church of Scientology of the Valley has become a meeting ground of cooperative effort to uplift people of all walks of life, backgrounds and denominations.

The Church of Scientology of the Valley is featured in an episode of Destination Scientology on the Scientology Network, available on DIRECTV Channel 320 and streaming at Scientology.tv, mobile apps, and via the Roku, Amazon Fire and Apple TV platforms.