The Way International and it's secret deal with the new Cult Awareness Network

In early 1998, Rico Magnelli, Public Relations officer of The Way International made a proud announcement to the Way staff at one of the weekday noon time lunch meetings.

The announcement concerned a recent telephone conversation that he had with a representative of the Cult Awareness Network.

In Magnelli's  review of the telephone conversation, he excitedly and proudly stated that since a new management team had taken over the C.A.N. organization, they were now reviewing and revamping some of the information that the previous management of C.A.N. had been disseminating regarding The Way International to its callers.

Magnelli went on to say that C.A.N. was now informing callers that The Way International was not in their opinion a cult but merely an organization with differing opinions than mainstream religions. C.A.N. (according to Magnelli) did not consider The Way to be dangerous.

This news was excitedly received by the attentively listening Way staff.

Magnelli in closing his announcement said that as a result of the conversations with C.A.N.,  The Way had decided to make a financial contribution to the organization.

John Reynolds, the new secretary treasurer of The Way, privately admitted (with a chuckle) months later, that the Way Trustees had been aware that C.A.N. had been taken over and was effectively in the full control of adherents of the Church of Scientology.

The financial contribution made by The Way was "substantial."