Colombian President Gustavo Petro provoked a strong reaction from religious sectors when speaking about Jesus during the reopening of a hospital in Bogotá
In his speech, he described Jesus as a “man of light” and a “revolutionary,” but avoided calling him “Christ.” According to Petro, this word is a Greek invention linked to power, which altered the original meaning of the historical figure.
The president went further and commented on Jesus’ love life.
He said he believed that “Jesus did make love, yes…
perhaps with Mary Magdalene, because a man like that, without love, could not exist.” He added that Jesus died accompanied by the women who loved him-many of whom supported him to the end-contrasting with other historical figures, such as Simón BolÃvar.
The statements quickly resonated and generated intense criticism, especially among Christians.
The Evangelical Confederation of Colombia (CEDECOL) released an official statement repudiating the claims.
According to the organization, the statements have no basis in the Bible, which presents Jesus as a sacred figure fulfilling a divine purpose, and Mary Magdalene as a disciple transformed by grace, not as a romantic partner.
The confederation defended respect for religious freedom and asked that sacred symbols not be used for ideological purposes.
Experts also contested the president’s interpretation of the term “Christ.” They explained that the word is simply the faithful translation from Greek to Hebrew of “Messiah,” without any distortion of power, as suggested.
Many religious leaders and believers considered that the statements trivialize faith, offend the sensibilities of millions of Colombians, and replace the central meaning of the resurrection with an exclusively human and political reading.
The episode reignites the debate about the care that public leaders should take when dealing with religious issues in a country where the vast majority of the population identifies with Christianity, reinforcing the expectation that the nation’s spiritual beliefs should be respected without being used as an instrument for other agendas.
Published in 01/31/2026 02h56
Text adapted by AI (Grok) and translated via Google API in the English version. Images from public image libraries or credits in the caption.
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