Santeria church brings church into open UPI NewsFeature (1,200-picture MHP071302) a

	Santeria   church  brings  church into  open  UPI  NewsFeature
(1,200-picture MHP071302) adv sun july 19 or thereafter

   By ELISABETH MALKIN

	HIALEAH, Fla. (UPI) Santeria, a church born in Cuba among west
African slaves, brought to the United States  by  exiles  fleeing
Fidel  Castro  and  sensationalized  by Hollywood in a new horror
movie, is hoping for credibility by opening a church.

   The establishment of the tiny church in a Miami suburb was not
without protests.  Animal-rights activists oppose the  religion's
practice  of  animal sacrifice, and some former followers believe
it is the religion of the devil.

   Current followers, some of whom also attend Catholic services,
worship deities, take part in  rituals  and  shop  for  religious
artifacts  in  "botanicas,"  where  it  is  not  unusual to see a
picture of the pope over a counter containing skull keychains.

   Establishment of the church represents an attempt to bring the
religion into the open and educate the  public  on  its  beliefs,
practices,  ethics  and  law,  said  Ernesto Pichardo, a Santeria
priest.

   "As long as we continue to practice  in  our  homes,  we  will
continue  to  reinforce  the idaa that this is not worthwhile and
that it is a secretive form of worship," Pichardo  said,  sitting
in the main room of a former car dealership.

   "This church  is  a  compromise.  It organizes, structures the
faith, creates prestige, acceptance.   As  long  as  you  put  it
within  the  confinements  of  American  logic,  then it does not
appear to be a threat to society."

   But for many opponents, the issue is not acceptance.

   "We think the devil is  here,"  said  Michelle  Ola,  who  has
repeatedly  visited  the  church. "We are here not to fight them,
but to fight the devil."

   Word of the animal sacrifice rituals led opponents to complain
about the sect's plans, leading to an emotionally charged  debate
in the City Council in May and daily verbal insults telephoned to
the church.

   Santeria's  origins  lie  in  the  worship  of the deities, or
orichas, of the Yoruba tribe in what is now Nigeria.   When  west
African  slaves  were  forced  to convert to Catholicism on their
arrival in Cuba, their religion was forced underground, where  it
adopted many  features  of  the Catholic saints.  Various deities
absorbed saints' characteristics.

   The divinities, also popularly known  as  "santos,"  personify
natural forces  and  patronize  human endeavor.  Other influences
have left their mark on the  religion,  but  the  Yoruba  imprint
remains the most marked.

   Creation of the Miami church comes at the same time the occult
movie,  "The  Believers,"  depicts  a group of Santeria followers
amid a wave of crime in New York City.

   Pichardo said the film is "Hollywood's idea  of  voodoo,"  and
although  Santeria  does  not  use  voodoo,  the  movie  offers a
generally accurate picture of the sect's  belief.    However,  he
said  it  could confuse viewers by blurring the line between fact
and fiction.

   The group's modest blue-trim church building is  dedicated  to
Babalu  Aye,  the god of infectious diseases, who can either cure
illness, or if unappeased, can cause  it.    A  popular  divinity
among Santeria worshipers, he is associated with St.  Lazarus.

   Followers   of  the  religion  buy  their  Santeria  religious
artifacts at shops known as botanicas.  A visit to one such Miami
store reveals the diversity in worship.

   Stacks of crucifixes lie next  to  piles  of  shells  used  in
divination  rituals  and coconut shells in which offerings to the
deities are placed.  Bead necklaces, in different colors for  the
different santos, hang from the ceiling.

   On the bookstand is a priest's manual, which features chapters
such  as  "four-legged  animals  and birds that each santo eats,"
"explanation of shells," "instructions on presenting the  rooster
or hen to the santo," and a Yoruba-Spanish glossary.

   Among the more bizarre items at Botanica Nena is Seven African
Powers Deodorant  Room  Spray.  Crude pictures on the aerosol can
show Catholic images with Yoruba names.   The  directions  assure
users the air freshener "does not have supernatural powers."

   At Botanica La Esperanza, a large picture of Pope John Paul II
adorns the wall, and skull keychains crowd the counter.

   Miami's  telephone  book lists almost 30 botanicas, suggesting
how widespread Santeria has  become  in  the  Miami  Cuban  exile
community.

   Mercedes  Sandoval,  a professor of anthropology at Miami-Dade
Community College who has studied the religion and its  evolution
in the Cuban community, suggests part of Santeria's strength lies
in its eclecticism and adaptability.

   Worshipers  range  from  those who reject all Christian belief
and practice, to devout Catholics who seek out Santeria  priests,
commonly known as "santeros," in times of crisis.

   For  example,  she said, some followers will consult a santero
before going to a doctor, to ensure the doctor's  diagnosis  will
be correct.

   This  mixing  of  beliefs  makes  explanation  of the religion
difficult.

   "When we are looking for  Santeria  and  we  are  looking  for
orthodoxy, we are looking for something that cannot be cornered,"
she said.