Tom Cruise's Daughter Suri Is Reportedly 'Free To Talk' About Scientology As She Turns 18

Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes' daughter, Suri Cruise, has lived a sheltered life away from her father's Scientology beliefs and public scrutiny. However, as she turns 18, she faces the decision to either embrace fame or remain private.

According to a Scientology journalist, Suri becoming an adult in New York will also allow her the freedom to speak about her father and the church of Scientology.

Katie Holmes Has 'Safeguarded' Suri Cruise From Public Scrutiny And Scientology

Suri has enjoyed a predominantly sheltered upbringing in Manhattan, shielded from the limelight by her devoted and fiercely protective mother, Holmes.

The teenager has been mostly kept away from her father, Cruise, and his religious organization, the Church of Scientology. According to a source who spoke to Page Six, the "Mission: Impossible" star hasn't seen his daughter since 2012.

"Katie has safeguarded Suri and she's a devoted mom," the source said. "This is a girl who is a private citizen. She hasn't lived her life in public."

With Suri's eighteenth birthday around the corner, questions arise on whether she plans to return to the spotlight or maintain her private life.

At the time of Holmes and Cruise's divorce, the actress was rumored to have signed various non-disclosure agreements, potentially restricting her from discussing her marriage to Cruise and her experiences within the Church of Scientology.

However, Suri, who will attain legal adulthood in New York State as she turns 18, has the freedom to speak openly about her father and his beliefs as she was too young to sign any NDAs during her parent's divorce.

Suri Cruise Is 'Free To Talk' About Scientology If She Wants

Speaking to the news outlet, Tony Ortega, a seasoned Scientology journalist, shared: "Suri would have been too young to sign any agreement, but she will now be free to talk if she wants to and it's going to be really interesting if she has something to say."

As Cruise is one of Scientology's prominent members, possibly second only to its leader, David Miscavige, Ortega raised questions about potential repercussions that Holmes and Suri could face.

"Regular members who quit are declared 'suppressive persons (SP),' and those who stay in Scientology are told to completely cut them off," he noted. "We don't know for sure if Katie was ever declared an SP."

Ortega added, "If you are a regular church member you could be told to disconnect from your wife and daughter, but because Tom is a celebrity — he's the top celebrity — he gets to ignore all this stuff. Your average member would be kicked out, but David Miscavige can't do that with Tom."

Former Scientologists Mike Rinder and Jeff Augustine echo Ortega's concerns about Scientology's influence on familial relationships and speculate on the treatment of Holmes and Suri within the church.

Augustine told the outlet, "The situation with Suri is a larger story about Scientology and the subject of how they make people no longer useful to them or threats to them non-persons. It's like they cease to exist and that's what happened to Suri."

Rinder particularly emphasized Suri's autonomy, asserting: "Suri is not a Scientologist and never will be…she deserves love and sympathy."

Tom Cruise Admits Katie Holmes Filed For Divorce To 'Protect Suri From Scientology'

According to Page Six, during a deposition in a legal battle against tabloid magazines in November 2013, Cruise disclosed that Holmes had filed for divorce "to protect Suri from Scientology."

However, despite their estrangement, Cruise, with an estimated fortune of $600 million, committed to providing financial support to Holmes and Suri as per their divorce settlement.

He reportedly agreed to an annual payment of $400,000 until Suri reaches 18, alongside covering various expenses, including "medical, dental, insurance, education, college and other extracurricular costs."

Holmes also secured sole custody of their daughter, while Cruise retained "meaningful" visitation rights. Yet, public sightings of Cruise with his daughter have dwindled over the years, with sources suggesting Cruise has a diminishing role in Suri's life despite legal arrangements.

Tom Cruise And Katie Holmes' Marriage Was Strained Because Of Scientology

Cruise first famously professed his love for Holmes in May 2005, leaping on Oprah Winfrey's couch and yelling, "I'm in love!"

The former lovebirds reportedly tied the knot in a lavish Scientologist ceremony in Italy in 2006.

However, as time passed, insiders revealed that the "Batman Begins" actress was feeling increasingly stifled by Cruise's ties to the church of Scientology, which caused a strain in their relationship.

Six years after they tied the knot, Holmes initiated divorce proceedings, aided by her father, Martin Holmes, a powerful divorce attorney.

Employing covert tactics, including the use of burner phones, Holmes allegedly "blindsided" Cruise with the divorce filing while he filmed "Oblivion" in Iceland in June 2012.

Tom Cruise Says He 'Always Wanted To Be A Father' And 'Be There' For His Children

Growing up as the only daughter of a devoted single parent presents a stark contrast from the beginnings of Suri's life.

Born on  April 18, 2006, the teenager was initially thrust into the limelight as America's most famous baby and was even captured by famed photographer Annie Leibovitz.

In the same year of Suri's birth, Cruise confessed to Vanity Fair  that he "always wanted to be a father."

He added, "I always said to myself that my children would be able to depend on me and I would always be there for them and love them — that I'd never make a promise to my kids that I couldn't keep."

"I'm not one of those people who believe you can spoil a child with too much love. You can never give a child too much love. There's just no way," he added.