[3] The initial 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.
[4] Sunday masses are well attended, and religious holidays are celebrated throughout the nation both as opportunities for the devout to practise their faith and as social events.
[4] Practising Catholicism, like speaking French, historically conferred a certain status by associating its adherents with the settlers from France.
[3] Although the clergy and the civil authorities disapprove, many Seychellois see little inconsistency between their orthodox religious observance and belief in magic, witchcraft, and sorcery.
[4] It is not uncommon to consult a local seer - known as a bonom di bwa - for fortune-telling or to obtain protective amulets or charms, called gri-gri, to bring harm to enemies.