Church of Scientology denies it forces Tom Cruise to shun daughter Suri

The Church of Scientology has denied allegations that its rules don't allow followers to maintain relationships with non-Scientology believers. The statement from the church came in response to claims by tabloid Us Weekly that Tom Cruise has not had contact with his daughter Suri (now 10-years-old) in the the last three years.

The Hollywood actor is well-known as a prominent member of the religious movement. It has been rumoured that he cut ties with his former wife Katie Holmes and daughter Suri after they returned to the Catholic Church following Cruise and Holmes' divorce in July 2012.

The Us Weekly source claimed that Cruise has "no contact" with his daughter, saying "Tom hasn't seen or even called Suri in about three years." Another source told the website that "Tom has no relationship with Suri."

The Church of Scientology denied the allegations, telling Us Weekly: "We never comment on individual parishioners' lives. On the issue of Church religious practices, we do not know who your anonymous sources are, but they got it all wrong. The answer to your question is no.

"Scientologists respect the faith of others, associate with and befriend members of every religion. Scientologists do not cut ties with non-Scientologist friends or family members because they have chosen another religion.

"Given that Scientology is a new religion, Scientologists often have family members and friends who are not Scientologists and who may practice another faith or no faith at all. This causes no conflict for Scientologists."

The 54-year-old actor was last pictured with his daughter in August 2012, when he took her to the Typhoon Lagoon Water Park in Lake Buena Vista, Florida, according to Jezebel. In April this year, reports started circulating that he missed his daughter's 10<sup>th birthday.