{
  "id": 3825426,
  "title": "Colombian president ordered to apologise for breaching religious neutrality",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/27/colombian-president-ordered-to-apologise-for-breaching-religious",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-08-27T21:37:00.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Free Malaysia Today",
    "slug": "free-malaysia-today-freemalays",
    "url": "https://www.freemalaysiatoday.com/category/world/2026/08/28/colombian-president-ordered-to-apologize-for-breaching-religious-neutrality"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "A Colombian judge has mandated President Abelardo de la Espriella to apologize for violating the country's secular laws during his inauguration ceremony. De la Espriella, who initially identified as an atheist before running for office, later embraced Judeo-Christian principles during his campaign. The inauguration, held in the city of Cali instead of Bogota, featured hymns, prayers, and praise of Israel alongside an altar to the Virgin of Fatima. The court ruled that the president must issue an apology and a directive to respect religious neutrality in all public events by September 30. De la Espriella's administration has faced criticism from the political opposition for promoting a \"cultural counterrevolution\" to restore God in the nation and advancing traditional family roles. The new government has already passed a decree allowing churches to influence public education.",
  "summary": "President Abelardo de la Espriella took office earlier this month, breaking with the secular nation's tradition by holding an inauguration in Cali featuring hymns, prayers, praise for Israel and an altar to the Virgin of Fatima.",
  "key_points": [
    "Inauguration featured hymns, prayers, and praise of Israel alongside Virgin of Fatima altar.",
    "Apology and directive to respect religious neutrality due by September 30."
  ],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 2,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "Free Malaysia Today",
        "title": "Colombian president ordered to apologise for breaching religious neutrality",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/27/colombian-president-ordered-to-apologise-for-breaching-religious-3826513",
        "published": "2026-08-27T21:37:00.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}