Tom Cruise was 'asked to leave Catholic school after stealing alcohol'

Tom Cruise was asked to leave the Catholic school where he hoped to train as a priest after he was caught stealing alcohol, an old schoolmate has alleged.

Shane Dempler, who attended the St. Francis Seminary in Cincinnati with Cruise, says that he and the Hollywood actor took around six bottles of alcohol from a school store cupboard during their time at the school in the late 1970s, reports the New York Daily News.

Tom Cruise 2011 Dubai International Film Festival - Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol

Dempler - who was at the seminary with Cruise between 1976 and 1977 - claimed that the pair were found out after other students got wind of their idea and joined in.

Revealing that all but "a couple" of the bottles smashed when he threw them out of the window to Cruise, Dempler added: "The priests didn't even realise until some of the other boys found out about our plan and snuck into the woods and got drunk.

"They were caught staggering down the road to the seminary and forced to confess."

Tom Cruise in 'Oblivion' (2013)

Tom Cruise in his new movie Oblivion

It was allegedly suggested that the pair should leave the school following the incident.

"The school wrote a letter to our parents saying they liked us both, but would prefer if we didn't return. So we weren't kicked out, just preferred not to go," claimed Dempler.

Cruise's old schoolmate also claimed that the 50-year-old actor, who is now famously a member of the C! hurch of Scientology, once had ambitions of becoming a Catholic priest.

Dempler said: "He had a very strong Catholic faith. We went to Mass, spent time in the chapel and enjoyed hearing stories from the priests.

"We thought the priests had a great lifestyle, and we were really interested in priesthood. In truth, we were too young to make that decision."

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