Brussels Anniversary of Scientology Notes 51 Years in Belgium and Social Betterment Efforts
Brussels Scientology Church marks 16 years at Boulevard de Waterloo as Belgian presence passes five decades Destination: Scientology revisits the Brussels European headquarters site, linking cultural heritage, community access and a landmark 2016 court ruling on freedom of religion.
Scientology Marks Brussels Milestone
BRUSSELS, Belgium — 5 February 2026 — The Churches of Scientology for Europe in Brussels is marking 16 years since the dedication of its headquarters on Boulevard de Waterloo. At the same time, the Church notes that Scientology’s presence in Belgium now extends beyond five decades. The milestone follows renewed public attention generated by the Destination: Destination: Scientology episode on Brussels and a related feature in Freedom Magazine. Both pieces present the building as a local landmark and revisit the legal case that ended with the dismissal of all charges against the Belgian Church and related defendants.
The Brussels site, dedicated on 23 January 2010, occupies an early 20th-century building at Boulevard de Waterloo 100–103. The Church describes the property as an 88,000-square-foot facility that serves local parishioners and visitors from across Europe. Inside, the premises include a chapel for congregational services and ceremonies, rooms for religious training and pastoral counselling, and a public information area. This space introduces Scientology beliefs and practices, the life and works of founder L. Ron Hubbard, and Church-supported social betterment programmes.
Although the Brussels headquarters opened in 2010, Scientology’s national history in Belgium began much earlier. Public registry records list the Église de Scientologie de Belgique (ASBL) as founded in 1974. This places the Church’s organized presence in the country at more than 51 years. Church representatives say the Brussels building has become a central hub in a city where diverse communities live alongside European institutions. In this environment, debates around pluralism and freedom of religion or belief remain part of public life.
Brussels Episode Highlights Unity
The Scientology Network episode of Destination: Scientology presents the Brussels site through the lens of the city’s multilingual culture and its tradition of compromise. The programme highlights community events and interfaith engagement as part of the Church’s daily activities. On-camera reflections focus on dialogue and social cohesion. One staff member describes a goal to “unite people” through better communication and understanding. Freedom Magazine echoes this message by framing the episode around the theme of “unity while still being diverse.”
The programme also features a personal account from a Belgian entrepreneur. He explains how applying Scientology communication principles influenced his workplace and personal relationships. The episode uses this example to show how Scientologists describe their religious practice in everyday life. These testimonials appear alongside broader context. The coverage revisits a lengthy period during which the Belgian Church faced scrutiny and criminal allegations. In the programme’s narrative, this period became a test of Belgium’s commitment to due process and equal treatment of minority faiths.
The legal case concluded on 11 March 2016. On that date, a Brussels court dismissed the proceedings and rejected all charges against the Belgian Church, its European headquarters, and individual defendants. Media reports at the time noted serious concerns about the fairness of the process. For Church representatives, the ruling reaffirmed a basic democratic principle: authorities should not prosecute individuals or communities solely because of their religion.
European Values in Practice
Ivan Arjona, Scientology’s representative to the European Union, the OSCE, the Council of Europe, and the United Nations, said the Brussels anniversary highlights how European values function in real situations. He noted that minority communities often feel pressure despite formal protections.
“Brussels is where Europe’s institutions speak most often about rights, pluralism, and non-discrimination,” Arjona said. “Those principles matter when institutions apply them consistently to everyone, including minorities. A community building represents more than bricks and mortar. It shows a commitment to dialogue, civic responsibility, and due process, which form the basis of social cohesion in a diverse Europe.”
In Belgium, the Brussels Church and local Scientologists extend their work beyond religious services. They take part in social reform and social betterment efforts through secular educational initiatives. These efforts include drug-prevention outreach and human-rights education. The Church links this approach to the teachings of founder L. Ron Hubbard, who emphasized practical tools, public information, and cooperation with educators, civic groups, and local partners.
Community Outreach and Education
In drug prevention, Belgian initiatives connected to the Foundation for a Drug-Free World and local partners focus on distributing and explaining Truth About Drugs materials. Volunteers share these resources at public locations and community events. Programme coverage highlights outreach efforts in Brussels during the Percusounds Festival in August 2023. Organisers said their goal was to give young people, parents, and teachers clear facts about drugs and their risks.
Other activities include nationwide awareness campaigns. These include the “10 Days to Say No to Drugs” tour, timed around the UN International Day Against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking. Belgium-wide bike tours linked to Julie Delvaux also feature in Voices for Humanity. Organisers present these tours as a long-term effort to deliver prevention materials directly to communities across the country.
Human-rights education forms another focus of Brussels-based work. Programmes connected to Youth for Human Rights aim to make the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) clear and practical. Volunteers achieve this through workshops, public presentations, and multimedia public-service announcements. Each activity highlights specific UDHR articles and shows how they apply in daily civic life.
Europe-Wide Presence and Recognition
Brussels has also served as a venue for youth-focused rights programming, including the International Human Rights Summit held in the city in 2012, and community forums such as the Brussels open-house events promoting tolerance and inclusion, where Youth for Human Rights representatives presented UDHR-focused materials. Arjona linked this approach to Europe’s emphasis on democratic resilience: “Rights are protected most effectively when they are understood in practical terms—by students, families and local communities—and when institutions and citizens share the responsibility of making human dignity a daily reality.”
The Church of Scientology, its churches, missions, groups and members are present across the European continent. Scientology Europe reports a continent-wide presence through more than 140 churches, and missions and communities in at least 27 European nations, alongside thousands of community-based social reform initiatives focused on education, prevention and neighborhood-level support, inspired by the work of Scientology founder L. Ron Hubbard.
Within Europe’s diverse national frameworks for religion, the Church’s recognitions continue to expand, with administrative and judicial authorities in Spain, Portugal, Sweden, the Netherlands, Italy, Germany Slovakia and others, as well as the European Court of Human Rights, having addressed and acknowledged Scientology communities as protected by the national and international provisions of Freedom of Religion or belief.
Company Details
Organization: European Office Church of Scientology for Public Affairs and Human Rights
Contact Person: Ivan Arjona
Website: https://www.scientologyeurope.org
Email: Send Email
Address: Boulevard de Waterloo 103
City: Brussels
State: Brussels
Country: Belgium
Release Id: 06022641049