by Stefan J. Bos, Worthy News Chief International Correspondent
BOGOTÁ (Worthy News) – Christians across Colombia expressed deep shock and grief after church officials confirmed that a prominent evangelical pastor was shot and killed during New Year’s celebrations in the country’s Caribbean region.
Pastor José Otoniel Ortega, 54, was killed in the municipality of Fundación, in Colombia’s northern Caribbean region of Magdalena, according to the Evangelical Confederation of Colombia (CEDECOL).
In a statement obtained by Worthy News on Monday, CEDECOL said it “expresses its deepest sorrow, shock, and rejection following the murder” of the pastor.
Church officials said Ortega, a leader of the Foursquare Gospel Church in the region, was spending time with his family awaiting the arrival of the New Year when he was targeted in an armed attack by unknown assailants.
Despite being rushed to a medical facility, he died from the severity of his injuries, CEDECOL confirmed.
PASTOR SHOT DURING NEW YEAR
Law enforcement officials said the gunmen fled the scene and remain at large, with no immediate motive established.
Police said the shooting occurred around midnight on December 31 while the pastor was celebrating the start of the year with relatives.
Authorities in Magdalena said they have launched a coordinated investigation with the Attorney General’s Office to identify and arrest those responsible.
Residents were urged to provide any relevant information by contacting local emergency lines.
CEDECOL said the killing has plunged “not only the family and congregation, but the entire Christian Church in Colombia” into mourning.
INVESTIGATION LAUNCHED AS CHURCHES MOURN
Ortega’s congregation, the Foursquare Gospel Church, expressed sorrow and hope in an open letter to believers.
“Today we do not say goodbye, but ‘see you soon,’” the letter said.
“With the certainty that one day we will meet again in eternal glory, where there will be no more pain or tears, only joy in the presence of our Lord Jesus Christ,” the message added.
Investigators said Ortega is the 11th church leader to be killed in Colombia since November 2024.
In the past year alone, criminal organizations have reportedly assassinated 10 Protestant leaders, while one Catholic priest was kidnapped and later released.
GROWING VIOLENCE AGAINST CHRISTIAN LEADERS
Christian advocacy groups said the killing underscores a broader pattern of violence against church leaders who often oppose crime, corruption, and armed groups in vulnerable communities.
“We’ve been calling for several years for the government to reinstate church leaders under the National Protection System,” explained Anna Lee Stangl, director of advocacy for Christian Solidarity Worldwide.
“It would be vital for church leaders in Colombia to have access to protection schemes that already exist, but from which they are currently excluded,” she added.
CEDECOL echoed those concerns, saying it “cries out for respect for life, for peace, and for an end to all forms of violence that continue to claim lives and shatter families.”
The group invited churches nationwide to unite in prayer “for comfort for the family, strength for the affected church, and justice for this painful event.”
‘BLESSED THOSE WHO MOURN’
Quoting Bible verse Matthew 5:4, CEDECOL said, “Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.”
The organization added: “We reaffirm our commitment to the defense of life, reconciliation, and the building of a society at peace.”
According to the Open Doors World Watch List 2025, Colombia ranks in the mid-30s globally among countries where Christians face the most severe persecution for their faith or activities.
While Colombia has constitutional guarantees of religious freedom, violence linked to criminal gangs, armed groups, drug trafficking networks, and local corruption continues to place pastors and church leaders at risk, particularly in rural and coastal regions, according to Christian investigators.
Colombia is home to an estimated 45 to 50 million Christians, the vast majority of its population, with evangelical and Protestant communities continuing to grow despite ongoing security challenges.
Copyright 1999-2026 Worthy News. This article was originally published on Worthy News and was reproduced with permission.
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