Lawyer Abelardo de la Espriella was sworn in on Friday as president of Colombia for the 2026-2030 term at the Arena USC at the Universidad Santiago de Cali. Representatives from Catholicism, Judaism, and Evangelical Christianity took part in the ceremony under a program section titled invocation and praise.
A majority of the Colombian Congress, national authorities, and heads of state from a dozen countries attended the event alongside international representatives. The ceremony combined the constitutional transfer of command with spiritual elements, including an image of the Virgin Mary.
Religious blessings and foreign policy
Rabbi David Michaan cited passages from the Old Testament to ask the Eternal to give President De la Espriella wisdom, strength, humility, and the courage of David. Michaan concluded his speech with a blessing for the leader and a cheer of long live Colombia and long live Israel.
The rabbi referenced a core foreign policy goal of the new government, which announced it will resume diplomatic relations with Israel that were broken by former President Gustavo Petro. Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa'ar attended the inauguration.
Prayers for unity and first speech
Evangelical pastor Eduardo Cañas Estrada focused his prayer on asking for protection for the Military Forces and different sectors of the Colombian population. Monsignor Francisco Múnera, president of the Colombian Episcopal Conference, offered wishes of well-being and blessings while transmitting a message of national unity.
While religious interventions continued, De la Espriella traveled about two kilometers to the Pichincha Battalion in Cali. There, he delivered his first address as president of Colombia to set out the main lines of his administration.
