"Franz the Happy" By Pierre Collignon, unofficial translation by Jens Tingleff Jyllands-Posten (Copenhagen, Denmark) January 14, 2001
He was in the hard conditions of the RPF for a year and a half--and he says that it's the best thing that ever happened to him. It has been two years since he was faced with an ultimatum by Scientology. Franz Stoeckl was told that he had to chose between being cleansed through the RPF programme--or leaving the Sea Organisation, the elite corps of Scientology, of which he had been a member since 1980. He didn't have to think twice. "I contribute to bettering mankind every day, here. What would I go out and do instead? Sell cars? Of course I wanted to stay in the Sea Organisation," says the 47 years old German scientologist. Franz Stoeckl was at the time-logistics and personnel manager of the European headquarters of Scientology in Copenhagen. His work-results had been deteriorating for a long time, he was constantly in conflict with his colleagues, and there was trouble in his private life. Franz was seriously considering leaving his wife. Because of so-called "knowledge reports" from colleagues who complained about his behaviour, Franz Stoeckl faced the internal tribunal of Scientology, and when it didn't solve the problems, he finally got the offer to enter the RPF. This was his salvation, according to Franz Stoeckl himself. From July 1998 to the 24th of December 1999 Franz Stoeckl lived as one of the marked inside Scientology. He was the lowest in the hierarchy and every time he was addressed he had to reply with a loud and clear "Aye Sir!" But Franz Stoeckl didn't mind. "No one looked down on me. On the contrary, I was respected because everyone could see that I were dealing with my problems," he says. He lived initially in Scientology's hotel Nordland on Vesterbro in Copenhagen, where 18 RPFers were assembled. They had to keep to themselves and eat before the others in the canteen, but it was difficult to maintain complete separation. The building normally housed at least 250 people, and even if the RPFers had separate dormitories on the fourth floor, they couldn't avoid running into ordinary members of Scientology in the narrow corridors and staircases of the hotel. Franz really didn't feel isolated. "I was first and foremost a part of the RPF group, where we had a close companionship, but we were also constantly surrounded by other people," he says. Work consisted of painting and flooring. It gave him great pleasure and confidence, says Franz Stoeckl, because he immediately could see the result of his efforts. The source of the problems After five months, Franz Stoeckl was transferred to Scientology's centre in Los Angeles, USA, where approximately 150 people were on the RPF. Here, he mainly carried out gardening work, and the programme also included reading and "auditing" - a practice where Scientologists help each other to work on their personal and spiritual problems. "We had to find the source of our problems to liberate ourselves from the sins of the past. It corresponds to confession, but the technology is more advanced than at a confession in the Catholic Church. Here the priest simply says 'Remember your sins, say a prayer' - and then you're forgiven. You make the sign of the cross, and everything is forgotten. People like it, because it's so easy, but it doesn't work. People do continue to commit their sins," says Franz Stoeckl. The RPF, on the other hand, is very effective, he thinks. "Let's say you're a marketing manager for Marlboro and spend several tens of millions of dollars without increasing sales. Then, you'll probably be fired. We have a technology in Scientology which gives a double reward. The employee is helped to handle his problems, and instead of firing the man, the company regains a valuable member of staff." To Franz Stoeckl, the most important part of the RPF is that he was allowed to go through the "false purpose rundown" programme, where you clear up "false purposes" from earlier lives, which are said to have a detrimental effect on this life. It is a programme that normally costs several thousand dollars. "In the RPF you get it for free. This shows that the church invests in us," says Franz. He finished the RPF on Christmas Eve last year, when he had fulfilled all the requirements of the programme, and he has felt like a better person since. "The destructive barriers, which previously distorted my behaviour, are all gone now. I do better at work, I find more solutions than problems, and I'm getting on better with my closest companions. I now have more genuine feelings for them," says Franz Stoeckl. Today he is back in his old position in Scientology in Copenhagen, and he is together with his wife again. Franz doesn't feel that it was a great sacrifice specifically to be without his wife during the 18 months he was in the RPF. As a member of the Sea Organisation he is used to live with separation. "In any big corporation you go on business trips to different parts of the world. If I'm going on a mission to Japan, I have to go, and I can't bring my wife. It's part of the game," he says.

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