Tom Cruise’s two adult children have been members of the Church of Scientology since they were children and have since both ascended to high-ranking positions within the controversial faith

While Tom Cruise’s youngest daughter may have distanced herself from Scientology, his other two children are fully committed members.

Reports suggest that the Hollywood star – who is said to be making a cameo at the Olympic Games closing ceremony in Paris later this evening- hasn’t seen his daughter Suri since his divorce from actress Katie Holmes and their contentious custody battle in 2012.

It’s believed that Tom’s religion was a major factor in the dissolution of their marriage, as Katie had concerns about raising Suri as a Scientologist – now, it’s said that father and daughter are estranged. Suri, who recently turned 18, ditched her dad’s surname earlier this year.

However, Tom has two other children who are often overlooked – and they remain high-ranking members of the Church of Scientology. Unlike the situation with Suri, his older children actually distanced themselves from their mother Nicole Kidman but maintain a close relationship with their father.

Isabella and Connor Cruise were adopted by Tom and Nicole in 1992 and 1995 respectively – and the Hollywood power couple shared joint custody when they divorced in 2001. Despite this, the children chose to stay in LA with their dad when their mum relocated back to Australia. Tom raised Bella and Connor within the Church of Scientology and they have both ascended to high-ranking positions within the controversial faith.

“Connor and Isabella grew up in the church of Scientology, they’ve been members since they were kids,” a source told PEOPLE in 2019, adding that the siblings “are completely dedicated scientologists just like Tom”. Due to her supposed “SP” [Suppressive Person] status, the children have maintained their distance from their mother.

In a 2007 GMTV appearance, Nicole disclosed that her kids “don’t even call me ‘Mom’ and she hated that they referred to her by her first name. She told WHO magazine in 2018: “They have made the choice to be Scientologists and as a mother, it’s my job to love them.”

Former couple Tom and Nicole with their two children in 1996 ( 
Image:
Getty Images)

Bella works as an artist in London these days ( 
Image:
Getty Images Europe)
“And I am an example of that tolerance and that’s what I believe – that no matter what your child does, the child has love and the child has to know there is available love and I’m open here. I think that’s so important because if that is taken away from a child, to sever that in any child, in any relationship, in any family – I believe it’s wrong. So that’s our job as a parent, to always offer unconditional love.”

Nicole’s relationship with the pair has been fraught – she didn’t attend either of their weddings and reportedly wasn’t aware that Bella was set to marry British IT consultant Max Parker in 2015. Although Tom was reportedly not invited to Bella’s wedding, he was aware of the marriage and covered the costs.

Connor married Silvia Zanchi, an Italian woman and fellow Scientologist who also grew up in the religion, but Nicole was allegedly ‘banned’ from the wedding by Tom. “Tom is behind this and what he wants is as good as law,” a source revealed to Radar Online in 2019.

“Tom made the call and Connor followed.” Adding that Connor “worships the ground his father walks on”, the source continued: “First, Tom would never even consider inviting Nicole to Connor’s wedding because she’s considered a ‘suppressive person’ by the church – and, second, he doesn’t want her there.”

Bella has now achieved ‘auditor’ status in the UK branch of the church, meaning she is now able to question other Scientology followers about their deepest, darkest secrets using an e-meter – a device similar to a lie detector. In a rare promotional email sent to Scientologists in London and obtained by the Sun, Bella wrote: “Thank you to my dad for everything,” adding, “I would have drowned in my own problems if you hadn’t been there to sup me or get me through the preliminaries.”

It’s thought Bella lives in Croydon, south London, working as an artist and has even launched her own fashion collection. Connor remains in the upper ranks of the Scientology church at its HQ in Clearwater, Florida, content to live a quieter life away from the spotlight.

While Tom is still close with his older children, his relationship with his youngest daughter is a completely different story. Tom has reportedly been estranged from Suri, who was born in 2006, for the last decade following his 2012 divorce from her mother Katie Holmes.

Claims have long swirled that Tom’s religion played a pivotal role in his divorce from Katie, with fears about their daughter being raised as a Scientologist fuelling her desire for full custody. Dawson’s Creek actress Katie reportedly sought to separate her daughter from the Church of Scientology’s influence, especially since she was attending a Scientology-linked school in California.

In 2013, during a legal deposition, Tom conceded that his faith was indeed a factor in the distance between him and his daughter Suri. Pressed by attorneys on whether Katie divorced him to shield Suri from Scientology, Tom confirmed, “That was one of the assertions, yes.”

Tom’s limited contact with Suri over the years has been attributed to Scientology practices, which reportedly restrict members from mingling with non-adherents. However, reports in 2016 suggested that despite apparent church policies, insiders claimed that Tom had the opportunity to see his daughter since “celebrities get to break all the rules”.

In May this year, reports emerged that Suri had decided to drop her Hollywood star father’s surname, opting for a new alias, hinting at her desire to distance herself from her famous dad. Suri is thought to have adopted the name Suri Noelle and was identified as such in the playbill of her school’s production of The Go-Go’s jukebox musical, Head Over Heels. This change sees Suri adopting her mother’s middle name, while completely severing any nominal ties to her father, Tom.

Tom reportedly felt a pang of guilt for missing his daughter’s 18th birthday and seemed eager to mend their relationship. A source confided to Heat after the celebration: “Tom is feeling guilty about missing so much of her life, but insists that he hasn’t completely shut Suri out of his life, and does get updates from time to time.” The insider also revealed that Tom had agreed to “allow her and her mother to live their own lives because that was what Katie wanted”.