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Whenever we hear the Left complain about the “religious neutrality” of the State, curiously, the outcry moves in only one direction: silencing Christian expressions in the public sphere.

We saw this again, in full colour, in August, when the Fifth Labor Circuit Court of Bogotá ordered Colombia’s new president, Abelardo de la Espriella, to offer a public apology and commit to “guaranteeing” religious neutrality in future official events.

It all began weeks earlier when, during the presidential inauguration ceremony held on August 7 in the city of Cali, there was a segment dedicated to “invocation and praise,” featuring remarks from representatives of various religious denominations.

One of them was Rabbi David Michaan, who read verses from the Old Testament and concluded his speech by shouting, “Long live Colombia and long live Israel.” He was followed by Pastor Eduardo Cañas Estrada and Monsignor Francisco Múnera, who separately called for an end to terrorist attacks, the restoration of security, and the prevalence of national unity. In addition to the constitutional elements of the transfer of power, the ceremony incorporated an image of the Virgin of Fátima.

For de la Espriella’s critics, incorporating these elements into an official State event violated religious neutrality, freedom of conscience, and the separation of Church and State. Present-day Colombia — where 90% of the population is Christian (comprising both Catholics and Protestants) — is moving past the four-year administration of the socialist and former narco-guerrilla Gustavo Petro.

Selective Outrage in Colombia

However, those offended by de la Espriella’s actions fail to consider that, while Article 19 of the Colombian Constitution treats all religious denominations as “equally free before the law,” this does not mean the Head of State must abandon his faith upon assuming the presidency.

Is the president not a citizen as well? The very same Article 19 that many brandish today to rebuke de la Espriella includes this provision: “everyone has the right to freely profess their religion and to disseminate it, either individually or collectively.”

It is also worth noting that those who took offence did not raise an outcry in 2022 when President Petro participated in a controversial indigenous ritual prior to his inauguration.

Nor did they look to their ideological ally in Mexico, Claudia Sheinbaum, who — amidst prayers, chants, incense, copal, traditional healers, and marakates (spiritual guides of the Wixárika people) — received the country’s “indigenous staff of office.”

The staff was consecrated and purified for the ceremony, and indigenous deities were invoked to grant the wisdom, knowledge, and experience needed to guide the leader’s path. The ceremony took place in the heart of Mexico City — the Plaza de la Constitución — yet there were no Catholic priests present, despite Catholicism being the country’s predominant faith, nor representatives from the rapidly growing evangelical churches.

The government referred to the site as the “Templo Mayor,” alluding to the temple of the ancient inhabitants of Tenochtitlán — a site of pre-Columbian human sacrifices — upon which the Metropolitan Cathedral, founded by Spanish conquistadors, stands today.

None of those examples matter to the Left! Only the one that invokes the name of the living God does.

Nevertheless, de la Espriella complied with the court ruling. What better way to prove oneself a democrat than by respecting the separation of powers? He also offered an apology — albeit in a rather peculiar manner.

On August 30, during a televised appearance, he stated that if the act had caused discomfort or offended anyone, he offered his apologies. At the same time, he defended his personal right to publicly profess his Catholic faith and affirmed his respect for the separation of Church and State. The final line of his address must have pierced the eardrums of the local Left: “Long live Christ the King! May God bless Colombia!”

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Republished with thanks to The Washington Stand. Image via Wikimedia Commons.