On Tuesday, January 27, 2006, at a public event at San Juan de Dios Hospital, President Gustavo Petro made statements that not only offend the faith of millions of Colombians, but also reveal a profound historical ignorance, a deliberate theological manipulation, and, above all, a dangerous trivialization of the central figure of Christianity: Jesus Christ.
"Jesus made love, yes..."
To claim that “Jesus made love, yes… maybe with Mary Magdalene” is neither an academic hypothesis nor a legitimate theological reflection. It is speculation with absolutely no basis in the canonical texts, in the writings of the Church Fathers, or even in the boldest apocryphal sources.
The four Gospels—written in the first century, recognized by the early Church and validated by rigorous historical criteria—present Jesus as celibate, wholly consecrated to the mission of the Kingdom.
Not even the second-century Gnostic gospels, such as the Gospel of Philip, explicitly affirm a sexual relationship; at most, they use spiritual metaphors that have been misinterpreted by modern novels like The Da Vinci Code.
The president confuses fiction with history.
The president confuses fiction with history and, worse still, imposes his personal fantasy as if it were revealed truth. Even worse is his claim that “Jesus was not the Christ, because the word ‘Christ’ is Greek and was added later to distort his message.”
Here an alarming disconnect from the history of the New Testament becomes evident. “Christ” (Χριστός) is the Greek translation of the Hebrew word Mashíaj (Messiah), which means “anointed one.” Already in the LXX (the Septuagint, the Greek translation of the Old Testament made in the third century BC), the term was used to refer to God’s anointed.
The title Christ is original, essential, and messianic.
Peter himself proclaims Jesus as “the Christ, the Son of the living God” (Matthew 16:16). Paul, in his letters—the oldest writings of the New Testament—systematically calls Jesus “Christ Jesus.” There is no later distortion: the title is original, essential, and messianic. To deny it is not to decolonize the faith, but to dismantle it with ignorance disguised as enlightenment.
Then comes this sexist remark disguised as a compliment: “intelligent men win over women despite their looks.” Beyond the misogynistic reductionism—as if a woman were a trophy to be “won”—this statement ignores the biblical teaching about true wisdom. Proverbs 31 does not praise a woman who seeks an arrogant intellectual, but rather the one who values a man “who fears the Lord” (Proverbs 31:30).
What pleases God is not seductive rhetoric, but a humble and obedient heart.
Intelligence without compassion is vanity; wisdom begins with the fear of God (Proverbs 9:10). Today, in a culture that idolizes cleverness without integrity, it is urgent to remember that what pleases God is not seductive rhetoric, but a humble and obedient heart.
Moreover, Mr. President, we agree that intelligence is attractive to women—they call it sapiosexuality. However, if a woman is only going to focus on that, it is better to steer clear of her.
As a man, one must prove oneself on all fronts, and intelligence is not incompatible with physical attractiveness or emotional intelligence. Of course, nothing is more pleasant than sharing a good coffee and having an intellectual conversation with a chemistry of seduction in the air, but in the search for maturity one should aspire to more than that.
By attacking the messianic identity of Jesus, he is striking directly at the kerygma.
Now, with all this, what the president ignores is that by attacking the messianic identity of Jesus, he is striking directly at the kerygma: the joyful proclamation and central core of the Christian faith.
Without the kerygma—the proclamation that Jesus is the Christ, dead and risen—Christianity is emptied of supernatural content and reduced to a club of social ethics or a manual of political activism.
By denying the “Christ,” Petro not only alters history, but also tries to strip the people of the hope of Redemption in order to replace it with a worldly and fleeting ideology.
It is paradoxical that the president seeks to raise the banners of a Theology of Liberation that today is nothing more than a so-called “dirty, old rag.” That movement, which in its origins sought a preferential option for the poor, has been overtaken by history and by the Magisterium of the Church, which warned of the danger of emptying the gospel of its transcendence in order to turn it into an appendix of Marxist analysis.
Petro does not offer spiritual liberation, but rather a political instrumentalization of faith.
Petro does not offer spiritual liberation, but rather a political instrumentalization of faith. He uses supposedly theological language to conceal a personal messianism that seeks to displace the true Messiah and put himself in His place.
Finally, one cannot help but ask: what’s next? Will the president speak about the Virgin Mary? Will he say that the Last Supper was a cannabis, or, worse, a cannabalistic ritual? His statements, increasingly unrestrained, no longer seem the product of serious reflection, but of a troubling mix of egotism, ideological improvisation, and reasonable suspicions about his state at the moment of speaking.
If it’s not on X (formerly, Twitter), it will be in national media where he will once again smear not only his image, but also the respect due to the beliefs of the majority of Colombians.
Jesus does not need furious defenders, but faithful witnesses.
Jesus does not need furious defenders, but faithful witnesses. And today, more than ever, Colombia needs leaders who honor historical truth, respect the faith of others, and do not use the political pulpit to impose their personal fantasies as if they were divine revelation.
Jesus is the Christ. You are not, Gustavo Petro.
Originally published by Diario Cristiano. Republished with permission.
Juan Sebastián Cortes, a graduate in education and religious sciences with studies in political science and worldview. He currently works as a teacher of religious education and ethics/values in Bogotá, Colombia, leading an educational transformation through apologetics and the cultural battle. An activist in defense of life, family, and freedom. A writer of truth in times of relativism.
