Prominent Haitian Vodou priestess dies, and country mourns

PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti (AP) — A prominent Vodou priestess and secretary general of Haiti’s National Conference of Vodouists has died. National leaders on Wednesday expressed mourning at the death of Euvonie Georges Auguste. She was outspoken on political issues, taking part in meetings held by the Organization of American States and participating in the successful campaign to make Vodou an official religion in Haiti in the early 2000s. The religion is practiced widely in the country of more than 11 million people. It was created in the 1500s when African slaves forced to practice Catholicism mixed saints with spirits from African religions.