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Seychelles RELIGION
Some 90 percent of the population was Roman Catholic as
of
1992. The initial white settlers in Seychelles were Roman
Catholics, and the country has remained so, despite
ineffective
British efforts to establish Protestantism in the islands
during
the nineteenth century. The nation has been a bishopric
since
1890, and mission schools had a virtual monopoly on
education
until the government took over such schools in 1944.
Sunday
masses are well attended, and religious holidays are
celebrated
throughout the nation both as opportunities for the devout
to
practice their faith and as social events. Practicing
Catholicism, like speaking French, confers a certain
status by
associating its adherents with the white settlers from
France.
Approximately 7 percent of Seychellois are
Anglicans--most
coming from families converted by missionaries in the late
nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. Evangelical
Protestant
churches are active and growing, among them Pentecostals
and
Seventh Day Adventists. Some 2 percent of the population
are
adherents of other faiths, including Hinduism, Buddhism,
and
Islam. No temples or mosques, however, exist on the
islands. No
restrictions are imposed on religious worship by any of
the
denominations.
Although clergy and civil authorities disapprove, many
Seychellois see little inconsistency between their
orthodox
religious observance and belief in magic, witchcraft, and
sorcery. It is common to consult a local seer--known as a
bonhomme de bois or a bonne femme de
bois--for
fortune-telling or to obtain protective amulets or charms,
called
gris-gris, to bring harm to enemies.
Data as of August 1994
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