Scientologists Bring Help and Peace of Mind to Disaster Victims

When flooding submerged Italy’s north-central region of Emilia Romagna in May, Scientology Volunteer Ministers immediately responded to help 

 

Famous for its wine, culture and gastronomy, the north-central region of Italy known as Emilia Romagna has recently been in the news for a very different reason. In early May, after a drought, rain that would usually fall on the region over seven months pelted it for seven days: May 1–4 and May 17–19. Rivers overflowed, submerging 43 towns and villages and the surrounding farmland, triggering hundreds of landslides and creating devastation that has left families, farms and businesses reeling. Scientology Volunteer Ministers have been helping those affected with the arduous process of digging out from the damage and salvaging what they can from the ruins of their homes.

In coordination with the Civil Protection Department, Volunteer Ministers from the Churches of Scientology of Padova and Milano, the region’s many Scientology Missions, and Scientology Churches and Missions throughout Italy have responded. Since the disaster began, they have been working in towns and villages removing standing water, digging up and carting away mud and debris, and drying out, cleaning and disinfecting buildings that can be salvaged.

They began in the city of Cesena. They bulldozed the mud off blocked roads, making it possible for further aid to arrive. They removed mud from garages, warehouses and houses. Another team of Volunteer Ministers took action in a small village in the province of Ravenna that was inundated with mud. Yet another team was dispatched by Civil Defense to help in the town of Sant'Agata in Ravenna.

In the city of Forlì, recovery was hampered by a lack of operational water pumps to suck up and dispose of the water. The Volunteer Minister got the pumps running, speeding up the salvage operation. Tons of ruined furniture, clothes and equipment piled up on the sides of the roads—a constant reminder of the devastation. The Volunteer Ministers located a truck and bulldozer and removed it all to the landfill. 

The Church of Scientology Volunteer Ministers program is a religious social service created in the mid-1970s by Scientology Founder L. Ron Hubbard. It constitutes one of the world’s largest independent relief forces.

With the events of the 9/11 terrorist attacks in New York City, Scientology ecclesiastical leader Mr. David Miscavige called on Scientologists to redouble their efforts to aid their fellow man. He issued a directive entitled “The Wake-Up Call” which inspired astonishing growth within the Volunteer Ministers program.

The following year, Volunteer Ministers of Italy formed Pro.Civi.Co.S—the Civil Protection Volunteers of the Scientology Community—which was entered into the registry of the National Department of Civil Defense. They are on call to help avert or contend with disasters at home and abroad.

Pro.Civi.Co.S helped provide civil protection for the August 2013 Turin World Master Games and the 2006 Winter Olympics. They responded to Italy’s L’Aquila and Amitrice earthquakes, the South Asia tsunami in Indonesia in 2005, the Haiti earthquake in 2010, the 2020 Croatia earthquake, and the 2022 Senigallia flood. And throughout the COVID lockdown, they provided sanitization, operated helplines and distributed thousands of How to Stay Well educational prevention booklets to help their communities.

A Volunteer Minister’s mandate is to be “a person who helps his fellow man on a volunteer basis by restoring purpose, truth and spiritual values to the lives of others.” Their creed: “A Volunteer Minister does not shut his eyes to the pain, evil and injustice of existence. Rather, he is trained to handle these things and help others achieve relief from them and new personal strength as well.” Their motto is that no matter the circumstances, “Something can be done about it.”

To learn more about the tools used by the Scientology Volunteer Ministers, watch the Scientology Tools for Life on the Scientology Network.