An article in Our Sunday Visitor titled “In the Temple of the Voodoo” asks this question: “Why is New Orleans, one of the world’s most Catholic [1] cities, caught in the bewitching spell of an ancient cult?” The author provides many examples of Catholicism [1]’s comfortable relationship with Voodoo:
“Celeste Champagne [says], ‘… my mother taught me about the voodoo—and the spirits.… The voodoo is part of my life to this day—just like Holy Communion. …’ Andy Antippas, a former professor of English who now devotes his time to studying the history of religion … says, ‘Africans … sold into slavery … brought their voodoo religion with them. Christianity [Catholicism [1]] was forced on them. So, to appease the masters, the slaves prayed through the icons and statues of Christianity [Catholicism [1]] to their own voodoo gods. …’
“On a clear day, the line … snakes through the front gate of the Lafitte Cemetery. Why? So men and women of every description and background can scratch the traditional X on the
late Voodoo Queen Marie Laveau’s tomb, giving impetus to their invocations for good for themselves and ill for their enemies. …
“Priestess Ava Jones [is] a graduate of Xavier Prep Catholic [1] High School and Loyola University School of Law … [and] has foregone a career in law to devote her life to voodoo. … She lectures frequently on voodoo and African religions to such diverse groups as the American College of Surgeons and the American Academy of Cardiology. … A call to her will often be met with, ‘I’m with a client now. Can I call you back?’ And she will … as soon as she returns from daily Mass, and Communion.”
Links:
[1] https://www.thebereancall.org/taxonomy/term/5/catholicism