Heber Carl Jentzsch (born November 30, 1935) has served as president of the Church of Scientology International since 1982. He has not been seen publicly since 2004.
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Early life
Heber Jentzsch was born in 1935 in Salt Lake City and grew up in a Mormon family and named after Latter-day Saint apostle Heber C. Kimball. Though he was never baptized into the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, he identified himself as a "believing Mormon",
He is the son of polygamist Carl Jentzsch and Carl's third wife Pauline; Heber has 42 siblings. Carl was arrested in 1955 and excommunicated from The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
Heber Jentzsch was educated at Weber College in Ogden, Utah and the University of Utah, where he graduated in 1959 with a degree in communications. He also studied Eastern religions.
Before 1967, Jentzsch worked as a journalist for the Los Angeles Free Press and an actor, having a bit part in the movie Paint Your Wagon. He played a small part in an episode of the 1960s television series Combat!, and an uncredited role in the movie 1776.
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Scientology
Jentzsch joined the Church of Scientology in 1967 after being cured by the Scientology Purification Rundown of radiation burns he had suffered since he was 15.
During the 1970s, Jentzsch became the public relations director of the later-notorious Guardian's Office, serving as the Church of Scientology's chief press spokesman. He has continued in this role since his promotion to the post of President of the Church of Scientology International in 1982. In January 1986, Jentzsch faced the press on behalf of the Church to announce the death of L. Ron Hubbard. He has often appeared in newspaper interviews, aggressively defending the church on several occasions. Despite his media prominence, Jentzsch has been called a titular president. He is sometimes described as "the leading spokesperson for the Church of Scientology International" in Church publications.
Arrest and trial in Spain
In 1988 Heber Jentzsch was arrested in Spain along with 69 other members of Scientology. Jentzsch was incarcerated in a Spanish jail for about three weeks. He was released and fled to the United States after Scientology paid a bail bond of approximately $1 million. Sixteen people, including Jentzsch, were charged with "illegal association" and various other crimes including tax fraud and endangering public health. The trial of the indictees began in February 2001, but Jentzsch himself did not appear; the prosecution called for him to be given a 56-year prison sentence. However, the Madrid Provincial Court dismissed all but the conspiracy charge and eventually ruled (in absentia) that the prosecution had presented insufficient evidence to prove this charge as well, and in April 2002, the last charge was formally dropped. The court ordered the bail bond be returned to Scientology with interest, nearly doubling the original 1988 bond amount.
Marriage and children
Heber Jentzsch was married to Yvonne Gillham from 1972 until her death in 1978 and then to Karen de la Carriere until their divorce in 1988. Their son, Alexander, died in an accident on July 2, 2012, at the age of 27. According to his mother Karen, who had been shunned by Alexander for two years after criticizing the Church of Scientology, revealed that he had been suffering from pneumonia at the time he died, and instead of the usual treatment of antibiotics, painkillers had been used to mask his pain.
Articles
- Jentzsch, Heber (2000-04-21). "Liberty, Equality, Intolerance", Los Angeles Times.
- Jentzsch, Heber (1998-02-25). "German Scientologists" (letter to the Editor), New York Times.
Sources
Source of the article : Wikipedia
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