Colombia’s president-elect, Abelardo de la Espriella, announced on June 26 that he has started a tour of Catholic shrines to place the country “under God’s protection.” He described the journey as a “thanksgiving route” called “the Pilgrimage of Hope for the Miracle Homeland,” sharing the update on his X account.In the first stage, De la Espriella visited the Sanctuary of El Morro in the department of Atlántico, where he consecrated his life, his service, and the entire country “to the protection of the Blessed Virgin Mary.”
He then traveled to La Guajira to pray at the Cathedral Sanctuary of Our Lady of Remedies, offering prayers for health personnel and the sick. At the Minor Basilica of the Lord of Miracles in Sucre, he prayed “for the security of Colombia, for peace, for our Public Force and for the protection of every Colombian family.”De la Espriella concluded the first day at the Sanctuary of Saint Peter Claver in Cartagena, giving thanks to God and asking “that we never lose sight of the most vulnerable, so that justice, solidarity and dignity reach every corner of the Homeland.” He said he will continue “walking this path with the conviction that, when a people put their destiny in God’s hands, they always find hope.”The president-elect, who won office with the Defenders of the Homeland party, closed his runoff campaign on the night of June 14 in the city of Buga, after visiting the Sanctuary of the Lord of Miracles earlier that day.
To avoid political misinterpretation, the Redemptorist Missionary Community that administers the basilica clarified in a statement that the sanctuary did not support any candidate and that the visit was personal, “motivated by his prayer and devotion, like that of any other pilgrim or faithful who comes to entrust themselves to the Lord of Miracles.”De la Espriella has said that the death of a loved one from Covid led him to embrace the Catholic faith. He has also engaged with Christians of other denominations.
On April 15, he attended a meeting at the evangelical church Congregation Tabernacle of Faith in Bogotá, where he signed the Commitment for Life and Family promoted by the Unidos por la Vida platform.Abelardo de la Espriella will assume the presidency of Colombia on August 7 for the 2026–2030 term, succeeding Gustavo Petro, who completes his term as the country’s first left-wing president.