Cartagena, Colombia, May 20, 2016 / 03:02 am (CNA).- In what's been labeled an “absurd” move, a judge in Colombia has banned prayer and “fraternal hugs” at the start of Cartagena city council sessions as well as local educational institutions.
The ban on civic prayer – as well as the baffling prohibition against “fraternal hugs” anywhere from businesses to private family life – has generated immense controversy and protests among Christians on the country's coast.
Judge Alejandro Bonilla Aldana's May 10 ruling suspends the first article of a 2007 accord which established prayer at “the beginning of all daily activities in local government entities as a basic approach to recovering the religious principles of the city.”
The daily El Colmbiano reported that a lawsuit against the accord was filed by Miguel Ángel Garcés who is connected with the Autonomous University of the Caribbean. Garcés took up the charge against the accord after a similar effort was rejected by the court in 2015.
The ruling by Judge Bonilla also eliminates “giving a fraternal hug at the beginning of activities” not just at the city council, but also in “public and private businesses, educational institutions, police command posts and stations, military battalions, assemblies, the boards of businesses, shopping centers, and taxi stations, trade organizations, associations and in the family.”
According to the magistrate,“the custom of prayer cannot be taken as a widespread cultural element and the civil authorities cannot impose its obligatory exercise, disregarding freedom of belief.”
Catholic and inter-denominational leaders have largely decried the ruling, with the Archdiocese of Cartagena issuing a statement saying it violates the human rights “of all the Catholics in Colombia.”
The daily El Tiempo reported that “massive prayers” are taking place in Cartagena by diverse Christian groups such as the one led by pastor Lida Arias. “No one can prohibit us from praying and giving hugs,” Arias said. “This city and this country need more prayer and less absurd laws.”
The Colombian coast daily El Heraldo indicated that a number of council members such as Duvina Torres, Jorge Useche, Erick Piña and Angélica Hodeg have publicly come out against Judge Bonilla's decision.
For their part, the Association of Evangelical Ministers in Bolivar said that “prayer and a fraternal hugs break down the barriers between people and allow us to forgive one another.” They encouraged “a peaceful protest of prayer and fraternal hugs be held in every area of Cartagena.”
Photo credit: www.shutterstock.com.
Article Archive
A bizarre ruling in Colombia bans civic prayer...and hugs
Related Articles • More Articles
Chuck Robbins, the chief executive of the multinational digital communications conglomerate Cisco, signs the Rome Call for AI Ethics, a document by the Pontifical Academy for Life, on April 24, 2024, at the Vatican. / Credit: Vatican MediaRome Newsroom, Apr 24, 2024 / 11:06 am (CNA).The CEO of Cisco Systems signed the Vatican's artificial intelligence ethics pledge on Wednesday, becoming the latest technology giant to join the Church's call for ethical and responsible use of AI.Chuck Robbins, the chief executive of the multinational digital communications conglomerate, met privately with Pope Francis on April 24 before signing the Rome Call for AI Ethics, a document by the Pontifical Academy for Life. Pope Francis meets with Chuck Robbins, the chief executive of multinational digital communications conglomerate Cisco, on April 24, 2024, at the Vatican. Credit: Vatican MediaThe document, first published by the pontifical academy in February 2020, has previously been signed ...
null / Credit: Brian A Jackson / ShutterstockCNA Staff, Apr 24, 2024 / 13:35 pm (CNA).Catholics Charities Corporation in Ohio was found partially negligent this week in the 2017 death of a 5-year-old boy who was being supervised by one of the organization's caseworkers at the time he died.A jury in Cuyahoga County ruled in the wrongful death suit that the Catholic charity group was 8% responsible for Jordan Rodriguez's September 2017 death, local media reported. Rodriguez's body was discovered buried in his mother's backyard three months after he died.The boy's mother and her boyfriend earlier pleaded guilty to several charges stemming from his death, including involuntary manslaughter. Jordan was developmentally disabled and incapable of speaking.In the civil wrongful death trial this week, Catholic Charities Corporation was ordered to pay $960,000 into Jordan Rodriguez's estate. Several ...
null / ShutterstockCNA Staff, Apr 24, 2024 / 14:15 pm (CNA).As euthanasia and assisted suicide are legalized in more jurisdictions throughout the U.S. and the rest of the world, one Catholic-focused ministry is promoting end-of-life resources that the group's founder says will help Catholics finish their earthly journeys while remaining faithful.Aging with Dignity, a nonprofit that for years has been promoting end-of-life support in line with Church teaching, announced this month the release of "Finishing Life Faithfully," a booklet that "makes complex end-of-life decisions easier." The materials address "basic questions" on how to approach end-of-life topics such as pain management, feeding tubes, and other matters surrounding death.The document "summarizes the Catholic Church's guidance on end-of-life decision-making and the ethical considerations involved and helps patients and families better understand these teachings and follow them," the group said this month.Jim Towey, ...