Colombia: Politics vs. Religion?

As Vatican Radio announced on 10 March 2017, the Pope will visit Columbia on 6-11 September 2017. This news has renewed discussions in Colombia about the relationship between the State and Church. An editorial published by Semana on 26 April 2017 claims that any state funding of the Pope"s visit would in practice mean the adoption of an official religion and ignore equality and religious freedom. In the same context, an article in Las 2 Orillas dated 2 May 2017 discussed the accusation that Protestant Christians are engaged in "political proselytism" and cannot be trusted to handle political affairs without manipulating people. Rossana Ramirez, persecution analyst at World Watch Research, explains: "Due to the upcoming 2018 presidential elections, the above discussion is particularly relevant since Protestant church members are setting up their own political party. The fear is that hard-line Protestant politicians would be unable to exercise power objectively. However, a secular state does not automatically mean that Christian voices should be silenced and religious beliefs be regarded as detrimental to society. On the contrary, the imposition of a unilateral secularist view of the world is undemocratic."