Christian-Vodou relations describe the relationship between Christianity and certain African diaspora religions, including Haitian Vodou and Louisiana Voodoo, and have been marked by syncretism and conflicts, especially in Haiti, but less so in Louisiana and elsewhere. Christian and Vodou conflicts The revolutionary Jean-Jacques Dessalines presumptively proclaimed himself head of the church in Haiti after the Haitian Revolution. He set forward to limit the jurisdiction of priests and to appoint men to vacant positions in local church communities. He himself had caused the assassination of a large number of the missionaries by failing to stop slaughter of the white colonists. This caused a schism between the Haitian state and Rome, resulting in Rome's declining to send priests into the country. There were no priests to provide guidelines for the newly established Haitian state. As a consequence, the principles of Vodou and Catholicism were merged and Catholicism (with its Vodou influences) was made the state's official religion under the leadership of Henri Christophe. Another cause of the syncretic connection between Catholicism and Vodou was the state's ordination of Haitian men to the priesthood – a step that the Vatican would not recognize as legitimate. However, mixture of both religions shaped the way of how Haitians practice their ritual. The Haitians were going to church, but they continued to adhere to Vodou, using the rituals of the church to mask the practices of their native traditions. There have been several killings in the past of Christian pastors, and some Christians blame those murders on the influence of Vodou. There have also been several murders of Vodou Priests/Priestesses, most recently after the earthquake. In Haiti, some Christians consider Vodou a form of devil worship. In spite of this criticism by some Haitian Christians, many practitioners of Haitian Vodou continue to self-identify as Roman Catholic, even to the point of incorporating the Lord's Prayer and the Hail Mary into their services for the Lwa (also called loa). These people see no contradiction between the two faiths and, in fact, view it as enriching their own faith, such people refer to themselves as good Christians. The Christian population of Haiti often uses Vodou as a scapegoat for Haiti's problems including the devastating 2010 earthquake and the poor economic state of Haiti today. Extremist Christian groups in Haiti have sought to rid the country of Vodou completely as they believe Vodou practitioners are influenced by demonic forces.