Did Pope John Paul II pay homage to a pagan serpent? The Pope was accused of venerating voodoo.
The African visits of the Polish Pope to Togo and Benin provoked outrage among conservatives. They believed he went too far with ecumenism, paying homage to a pagan serpent and venerating voodoo.
4 min readApr 8, 2024
In 1993, the Polish Pope visited Benin. It is a West African country from which countless slaves were once brought to America, along with religions that merged with Christianity into various syncretic cults, such as Haitian voodoo, Santeria, Obeah, and Candomblé. Today, Benin is a country where the majority are Christians and Muslims. However, the local voodoo is not only an officially recognized religion by the state but also permeates the entire society and blends with other cults.
The Visit of John Paul II to Benin
The visit of John Paul II was maintained in the spirit of ecumenism, meaning respecting old African traditions —…
