Colombian court restricts President from participating in religious acts

A judge in Bogotá has ruled that Colombian President Abelardo de la Espriella must refrain from participating in religious acts that imply state adherence to a specific confession while in office. The first-instance decision by the 804th Transitory Family Court of Bogotá follows a legal challenge (tutela) filed by citizen Julio Jair Mizger Díaz.

The ruling stems from a national prayer event held on August 28 and 29, titled ‘Colombia, un solo corazón’ and ‘Gran velatón por las víctimas del terremoto,’ organized to support earthquake victims. The complainant argued that the President’s participation—which included crowning an image of the Virgin of Fatima and using official state channels for dissemination—violated the principles of religious neutrality, freedom of conscience, and equality for non-believers and other faiths.

While the President's defense argued that spiritual manifestations in public acts do not inherently violate secularism and were intended to encourage aid, the court noted that under Colombian law and Constitutional Court precedents, no single church or confession is official or state-sanctioned. The court emphasized that while the state is not atheist or indifferent to religious sentiments, it must recognize the diversity of beliefs.