Martin Fahrner says he is not part of any sect and that his non-specified religious practices are respected in Brazil, Germany and Canada.

So, which religious practice can we find in those three countries at the same time?

Brazil is very religious or I would say mystical. Everything goes. Comparable only to Phillipines and China in how much daily life is influenced by mysticisms.

But, contrary to common belief, it is not an exclusively Christian nation. While 67 % of its 190 million inhabitants are Catholic, only 18 % have been to a Mass. And, although the Jesuits became infamous for their schools and many paedophile priests have done even worse things to kids, Fahrner is certainly not talking about any Christian cult.

With 77 million people of African origin, the religious practice that is most widespread among Brazilians is a mix of cults brought from Africa and later deformed by the slaves in the coffee plantations and renamed as Umbanda, Candomblé, Saravá, Jurema or Catimbó. These cults involve the sacrifice of animals - chicken or sheep - and the offering of gifts to gods, in exchange for self-serving blessings.

In its original versions, not practiced in Brazil since the 1800s, kids could be believed to be taken by evil souls (for that it is enough for them to behave badly or not listen to the parents) and thus they could end up locked up, tied up, beaten up or even sacrificed, if necessary.

Britain has had to fight some cases of child sacrifice committed by some African immigrants. It is a large problem in many African countries and thousands of children are caught into that situation every day in that continent.

The Mauerovy sisters did not look like they were intending to kill the kids, but it may be that they believed Ondra and Jakub were infiltrated by evil souls.

To get initiated in Umbanda or Candomblé religions, which can be done as soon as when a boy is 3-years-old and a girl 5, the hair is shaved, then covered with chicken blood and wrapped in a textile in the color of the god that is supposed to be the "owner" of your destiny. The blood is later washed off with some blessed water. Then you are supposed to stay a full week locked in a dark room, not letting your hands touch anything, hand-fed only bread and water by the sorcerer in charge of your period of preparation to the god in question. Because that practice would not be possible in modern days, it was adapted to fit the needs of adepts, so the week seclusion period is practiced only at night, after one´s daily duties. It sounds like some of the things that were going on with Ondřej and Jakub in Kuřim.

Germany has at least 30 such cult places, according to Michaela Guimarães, a German-Brazilian who is a priestess in one of them. Canada has at least 4 terreiros of umbanda, tells me José Bastos, who is an adept there. Their practices may well have been perverted by a sadistic con-artist in Brno.