The Colombian police chief, accustomed to provocative statements, said on Saturday that he had resorted, along with other police officers, to exorcism and prayer in the fight against crime and its most powerful representatives such as Pablo Escobar.
From his office stuffed with crucifixes, effigies of the Virgin and other Catholic symbols, General Henry Sanabria assured that these religious practices have helped the police during more than fifty years of armed conflict.
In particular, he recalled the operations in which the cocaine baron Pablo Escobar (1993), the FARC military leader nicknamed " Mono Jojoy
" (2010) and the guerrilla leader Alfonso Cano (2011)
were killed .
“
The existence of the devil is certain.
I saw it, I felt it
,” said Henry Sanabria in an interview with the magazine Semana, making the sign of the cross at each mention of the demon.
The president reacts
He claimed that the offenders used "
witchcraft
" and told several anecdotes, including one about an officer who allegedly "
shot while praying
" and thus killed one of these
alleged "
witches ".
His statements from the Bible have inflamed the social networks of Colombia, secular peace of Catholic tradition.
Current Colombian leader Gustavo Petro reacted from the Dominican Republic, where he is attending the Ibero-American Summit.
"
We know the general's beliefs, but we try to make sure those beliefs don't affect the rules, it's as simple as that.
I think he respected them, for all we know
,” he said.
Henry Sanabria also positioned himself against abortion, legal in Colombia up to the 24th week of pregnancy, and the use of condoms, an “
abortion method
” according to him.
Other of his statements have caused controversy: he called Halloween a "
satanic
" holiday in October and wrote a tweet considered macho about Women's Day on March 8.
“
The charm of a woman makes her husband happy and if she is reasonable, she makes him last.
A discreet wife is a gift from the Lord
,” he argued.