After six years and one child together, Katie Holmes and Tom Cruise are divorcing. Various reports say Cruise was "heartbroken," "blindsided," and "devastated," but both he and Holmes continued to work this week after Holmes officially filed for divorce on Friday, June 29.
In the divorce papers, Holmes cited she's seeking sole custody of daughter Suri. Some consider this to be a telling sign that Cruise's belief in Scientology played a large role in Holmes's decision to end their marriage. According to celebrity news site TMZ, "The final straw in Katie Holmes' decision to file for divorce was that she was convinced Tom Cruise was going to send 6-year-old Suri away to a hardcore Scientology organization known as Sea Organization." Yahoo's OMG page elaborates, describing the Sea Organization (or Sea Org) from the Scientology website: "As volunteers and members of a religious order, Sea Organization members work long hours and live communally with housing, meals, uniforms, medical and dental care, transport, and all expenses associated with their duties provided by the church. They also receive an allowance to purchase personal items, as all of their other expenses are fully covered by the church." While the Scientology website states that the group obeys child laber laws, it also explains that children sign a one-billion-year pledge as a sign of their eternal commitment to the church's teachings and don't see their parents often.
If granted sole custody of Suri, Holmes will have a say in her daughter's schooling and religious upbringing. This isn't the case for Cruise's second wife, Nicole Kidman, with whom he adopted children Isabel and Connor. In 2007, Kidman acknowledged that her children chose to stay with their father in L.A. and told Marie Claire, "Yes, they're being raised as Scientologists. I don't want to go there."
In addition to being concerned about her daughter, Katie might have fears for her own safety. The New York Post is reporting that when Holmes left her apartment in the Chelsea neighborhood of Manhattan, she had a team of buff bodyguards with her. The article said, "She flexed the heavy muscle amid fears she’s being stalked by Scientology officials because of her bombshell split from church member Cruise — and concerns he might try to kidnap their daughter." The Post also explained changes that Holmes has made in her life to distance herself from her husband's religion. For example, "Holmes had quit going to her three-times-a-week Scientology classes at least 18 months ago. And about a month ago, she ditched her chaperone — Cruise’s sister, Lee Anne DeVette. She also rehired the publicist she had before she and Cruise hooked up. Just before she filed for divorce in Manhattan Supreme Court on Friday, Holmes fired many of her handlers — Scientologists, whom she considered 'spies.'"
There are other theories being reported that the marriage was the result of auditions, ending in a contract, and that Katie needed an escape plan. Ultimately, the press might have to wait until the divorce proceedings to learn the truth.
This article is copyrighted by Travelers Today, the travel news leader
