Colombian President Abelardo de la Espriella issued a public apology on August 7, 2026, for violating the constitutional principle of state secularism during his inauguration speech. ^[1] President Abelardo de la Espriella concluded his apology message with the phrase 'Long Live Christ the King' (¡Viva Cristo Rey!). ^[2] Joe Schmid announced on his YouTube channel on August 21, 2026, that he has converted to Catholicism. ^[3] Abelardo de la Espriella promised to guarantee the religious freedoms and rights of all Colombians, including the freedom to profess any religion or none. ^[4] The President stated that he identifies as a Catholic believer but affirmed his respect for the separation between the Church and the State. ^[5] Joe Schmid ran a highly popular YouTube channel focused on philosophy from an agnostic perspective for several years prior to this announcement. ^[6] Schmid stated that a 'gift of God's grace' led him to return to the Catholic faith. ^[7] According to official figures, 79% of the Colombian population identifies as Catholic, followed by Protestants, Evangelicals, and Christians at 10.1%. ^[8] President Abelardo De La Espriella sparked controversy by exclaiming 'Viva Cristo Rey' after apologizing for the lack of inclusion of certain religious cults during his inauguration. ^[9] The blogger urges Colombians to focus on critical national issues such as earthquake reconstruction, fiscal deficits, and the threat of power outages rather than religious or cultural debates. ^[10] The author states that between 7.5% and 7.8% of the population has no religion, while atheists and agnostics make up between 0.6% and 1%. ^[11]