Colombia is a secular country and the freedom of religion is enshrined in the nation's constitution. The Ministry of Interior is responsible for formally recognizing churches, religious denominations, religious federations and confederations, and associations of religious ministers.[3]
The Colombian Constitution of 1991 disestablished the Catholic Church, hitherto the state religion, and includes two articles providing for freedom of worship:
Article 13 states that "all people are legally born free and equal" and are not to be subjected to discrimination because of their "sex, race, national or familial origin, language, religion, political or philosophical opinion";
Article 19 expressly guarantees freedom of religion: "Freedom of religion is guaranteed. Every person has the right to freely profess his religion and to disseminate it individually or collectively. All religious confessions and churches are equally free before the law."
In 2023, the country was scored 4 out of 4 for religious freedom.[4]
In the same year, the country was ranked as the 22nd most difficult place in the world to be a Christian.[5]
Christianity (Catholicism) was the official religion of the country from the Spanish colonization until the 1991 constitutional reform (National Constituent Assembly), which granted egalitarian treatment from the government to all the religions. However, Catholicism is still the main religion in Colombia by number of adherents, with an estimated 73% of the national population in nominal Catholicism in 2022.[3]
In the colonial period, the Catholic Church was created and in charge of most of the public institutions, such as teaching facilities (schools, colleges, universities, libraries, botanical gardens, astronomical observatories); health facilities (Hospitals, nurseries, leper hospitals) and jails. It also "inherited" a huge amount of land, approx. 1/4 of all the productive land, which was later acquired by the government.[citation needed]
Colombia is often referred as the "Country of the Sacred Heart", due to the annual consecration of the country to the Sacred Heart of Jesus in a Te Deum directed by the president of the republic. Colombia has been re-consecrated to the Sacred Heart of Jesus and consecrated to the Immaculate Heart of Mary in 2008, in a country-wide ceremony celebrated by the main bishops and with the presence of the Colombian president (also a Catholic).[citation needed]
Protestantism, primarily Evangelicalism, represent 14% of the population in 2022;[3] international NGOs have stated that indigenous Protestants face threats, harassment and arbitrary detention in their communities due to their religious beliefs.
The Baháʼí Faith in Colombia begins with references to the country in Baháʼí literature as early as 1916,[8] with Baháʼís visiting as early as 1927.[9] The first Colombian joined the religion in 1929[10] and the first Baháʼí Local Spiritual Assembly was elected in Bogotá in 1944[11] with the beginning of the arrival of coordinated pioneers from the United States and achieved an independent National Spiritual Assembly in 1961.[12] By 1963 there were eleven local assemblies.[13] In the 1980s institutions were developed in Colombia that have influenced activities inside and independent of the religion in other countries: FUNDAEC[14][15] and the Ruhi Institute.[16]
According to a 2018 study conducted Pew Research Center, the size of the Colombian Muslim population ranges from about 5,000-10,000 individuals.[18] There are a number of Islamic organizations in Colombia, including Islamic in San Andrés, Barranquilla, Bogotá, Guajira, Nariño, and Santa Marta. There are also primary and secondary Islamic schools in Bogotá and Maicao. Maicao plays host to the continent's third largest mosque, the Mosque of Omar Ibn Al-Khattab.
Most Colombian Muslims are converts or of Arab descent.[19]
In 2020, Maicao became the first place in Colombia to elect a Muslim mayor;[20] the Omar Ibn Al-Khattab Mosque in the city is the third largest in Latin America.
The constitution provides for freedom of religion and prohibits discrimination based on religion; there is no official state religion, but the law says the state is not atheist or agnostic.[3] All cities and towns in Colombia have a church, but there are also some temples, mosques and synagogues in the largest cities.
A Colombian-grown Tao (not to be confused with Taoísm) sect has spread significantly in recent years. In the 2000s, temples and congregations were target of a paramilitary repression whose motivations are still unclear.[25] Entire Tao-Judío communities were massacred and leaders kidnapped.[25] The leader of the Tao sect, Luis Morales Sierra, also known Kelium Zeus, along with other seven members, were also charged for kidnapping, homicide and criminal conspiracy.[26]
While Colombia remains a mostly Roman Catholic country by baptism numbers, the 1991 Colombian constitution guarantees freedom of religion and all religious faiths and churches are equally free before the law.[30]
^ ab"Tao Community in Colombia". 27 October 2009. Archived from the original on 27 October 2009. Retrieved 19 August 2016.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)