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Not sure who is on Yahoo! Answers R&S, I myself am a Christian; but here are two Santeria priests that made it in the news:
Jose Merced, 46, a Santeria priest who sued a Texas city for denying him permission to sacrifice a goat as part of a religious ceremony asked a federal appeals court Wednesday to let him resume the ritual in his home.
He accused the city of Euless, Texas, of trampling on his constitutional right to religious exercise, but U.S. District Judge John McBryde sided with the Fort Worth suburb last year and dismissed the Puerto Rico natives claims.
http://www.theipu.com/2009/04/will-santeria-priest-be-allowed-to.html
Jesus Suarez, a Santeria priest, had slit the throat of one goat that June afternoon. He had three more goats, two sheep and 44 chickens to go. But before he could finish the ritual sacrifice, Coral Gables police swarmed the house where he and about 20 other followers of the Afro-Cuban religion had gathered to worship. The officers, Suarez recalls, pointed their guns at the devotees and screamed at them to freeze. Suarez could hear a couple of worshipers in the front yard yelling, "No dis pare!" Don't shoot!
Soon thereafter, word of the raid made its way to the great defender of Santeria in the United States. That would be Ernesto Pichardo: high priest, physical extension of the fire spirit Shango and co-founder of the Church of the Lukumi Babalu Aye, the first incorporated Santeria church in the nation.
http://www2.tbo.com/content/2008/sep/22/me-priest-fights-for-santeria-followers/
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Santer?a is an old-world religion rich in symbolism, which is practiced in much of the Caribbean, including Puerto Rico. It originated with the Yoruba people of Africa, in what is known today as Nigeria.
With the slave trade came the Yoruba religion which quickly developed into what is today called Santer?a. The Yorubas, expected to adopt the religion of their masters, converted to Catholicism. They were easily able to make a transition from worship of dieties to a worship of "saints" which were seen as one with their gods. For example, "Obatala" corresponds to "Our Lady of Mercy."
In Santer?a there is one head God with many subdeities. The deities are called "Orishas." The Orishas are said to have descended from heaven to help and console their followers. Orishas are not chosen by people; instead, each person has been chosen by an Orisha and the Orisha watches over him.
http://www.elboricua.com/AfroBorinquen_Santeria.html
More Information here about Santeria:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Santer%C3%ADa
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who is a santeria priest?
