A self-described priestess of Vodoun in Guyana has been convicted of manslaughter after a 2002 exorcism ritual became a fatal beating.
In Romania, the body of a nun killed in yet another exorcism attempt has been exhumed for forensic tests in the pending murder trial of the Orthodox priest and four fellow nuns who attempted to excorcize demons from the hapless woman via crucifixion.

With the current trendiness of exorcism in the Church and in popular entertainment, I can imagine these events will only increase.

In witch-hunt news, two elderly women in South Africa were hacked to death by a stranger who accused them of practicing witchcraft, one of hundreds of incidents this year.

Not all of the news is depressing today. The Washinton Examiner did an admirable job covering local Pagan Pride events (who wouldn't love a chocolate ritual?), and we have profiles of followers of La Santa Muerte (Holy Death) and everyone's favorite UFO sex cult, the Raelians.

Nifty: Giordano Bruno and the Kabbalah