They ask to prosecute those responsible for the acts in the Primate Cathedral for “violation of freedom of worship”

On Sunday, March 20, a group of five hooded men interrupted a eucharist that was being celebrated in the Primate Cathedral of Bogotá, with harangues questioning the discourse of peace and love that the Catholic Church professes, which caused the rejection of different political, ecclesial and citizen sectors who called for respect for the religious celebrations and the venues where they are held.

However, these events, which were classified by its filmmakers, the Network of Artists in Resistance, as an “artistic and performative intervention”, as stated in an interview with the national media El Espectador, not only remained a critique of the speeches that are professed in the churches, but were denounced by some politicians, who request the prosecution of those responsible.

On Tuesday, March 22, the representative to the Chamber of the Democratic Center, Christian Garcés, filed a criminal complaint with the Attorney General's Office for this act that he described as an “attack on freedom of religion and a violation of the rights of millions of parishioners who were attacked in their beliefs by such an outburst”.

“Mr. Attorney General, as demonstrated in this document, this conduct is a serious assault on criminal law whose definition corresponds to the following offences: Article 201. Violation of religious freedom. Anyone who, through violence, forces another to perform religious acts, or prevents him from participating in a ceremony of the same kind, will be imprisoned for sixteen to thirty-six months,” said the congressman from Valle del Cauca.

In addition, the councillor of Bogotá de Colombia Justa Libres, Emel Rojas, reported that he had asked the Attorney General, Francisco Barbosa, to prosecute those responsible for these acts in the Primada Cathedral, which he classified as members of the 'First Line', despite the fact that it was a collective of artists who attributed these events, with the with the aim of “setting a precedent for the protection of religious communities”.

“I have asked the prosecutor, formally, to expedite the investigations and prosecute those responsible for the 'First Line' who were involved in these acts that obviously constitute a type of criminal offense. And this type of criminal offense disrupted freedom of worship, which must be tried and that a precedent be set in Bogotá,” concluded Councilman Rojas.

For its part, the Archdiocese of Bogotá called for respect for religious venues and celebrations, while calling for spaces to be found for such demonstrations to take place without violating the rights of other citizens.

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