Occult Egyptian symbol drawn on front of cathedral where horrid attack occurred
@report by Spirit Daily
The administrator of a Caribbean cathedral where worshippers were set ablaze and two killed last Sunday described the attack as "diabolical" but said there had been no hint that it was coming.
"We had no indication, except there was an Egyptian ankh drawn on the front of the cathedral, and that was just before Christmas," Monsignor Theophilus Joseph of Immaculate Conception Cathedral in St. Lucia told Spirit Daily of the attack, carried out by members of a religious sect called the Rastafarians.
The ankh is a symbol that looks like a cross with a loop at the top. Found widely in Egyptian art, it has come to symbolize life after death and is widely depicted in art as held by gods and goddess -- believed to be the key that opens the gates of death on to immortality. It is sold as an amulet in stores catering to pagans, wiccans, and satanists.
While the sect itself is strange, with a stated hatred of whites and the peculiar idea that former Ethiopian emperor Haile Selassie was a deity, it is associated more with dreadlocks, marijuana, and reggae music than occultism. The ankh is the only clue so far with direct occult undertones. Monsignor Joseph says there has been no particular problem with voodoo or cult activity in the area.
But as we will report Monday, there has been voodoo activity all over this region.
"The action seemed to be more than human feelings and very diabolical -- I mean to enter into a church right after Communion and to decide to burn people in the church and destroy life, has to be diabolical," noted the monsignor. "My rectory is just across the road from the church, so when I heard the screaming and I saw a lady running out with flames on her back I ran straight into the church and I saw people in panic, people lying on the ground bleeding, people trying to help each other, people dousing flames on each others' backs. I saw two sisters on the roadside bleeding. It was almost a chaotic scene."
The men, two of whom are in custody, entered the church carrying torches, masked and draped in eerie white. They hacked at worshippers with pieces of wood or machetes and sprayed kerosene and set it afire. Sister Teresa Egan, 72, of Ireland was killed in what one witness described as "a scene from hell." The main celebrant, Father Charles Gaillard, was doused with fluid with set ablaze at the main altar. Reports have come that the intruders thought they were end-time prophets on a mission against church corruption.
"We had no indication," Joseph told us. "Absolutely none. No threats. Nothing at all. We have been saying the prayer of St. Michael every day after Mass and have been doing that for two or three years as a regular part of Mass. He's being invoked right now especially."
When asked why the prayer to St. Michael had been invoked, the monsignor said that starting several years ago clergy felt the church was "under attack. There were a lot of accusations against our bishop and our priests."
Reports and photos from the island
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