Tom Cruise grooming his Scientology fundraising successor

MSNBC/December 27, 2005
By Jeannette Walls

Has Tom Cruise snagged the promise of more big bucks for Scientology?

The “Mission Impossible” star has been honored for being the biggest donor to the religion, and is said to have raised more than $1.6 million for a controversial detox program for firefighters in New York that is linked to Scientology. But the real money may be yet to come.

While filming “The Last Samurai,” Cruise became chummy with James Packer, whose billionaire father, Kerry Packer was the richest man in Australia. The elder Packer died this week, and James Packer is widely believed to be inheriting his father’s empire.

“James Packer was spotted around a Scientology campus in Australia, has made frequent trips in Los Angeles where Scientology is headquartered, and reportedly spent time in Scientology counseling sessions in Sydney — and Tom Cruise is his pal,” Cultnews.com’s Rick Ross tells The Scoop. “Practically everything that Tom Cruise does has some connection to Scientology. The thinking is that Cruise has groomed this guy to be a big giver to follow in Cruise’s footsteps. After all, Tom Cruise is the biggest giver Scientology has.”