A Colombian church leader has been killed in a targeted attack while celebrating New Year’s Eve with his family.
Pastor José Otoniel Ortega was reportedly approached by three armed attackers, who repeatedly shot him. He was taken to a medical clinic immediately, but did not survive his injuries.
His congregants in the Foursquare Gospel denomination described him as a beloved pastor, a faithful servant, a man who walked with God, who preached the word with love and gave his life to Kingdom service.
Ortega is the eleventh church leader to be killed in Colombia since November 2024. Anti-persecution watchdog Christian Solidarity Worldwide has raised the alarm on increasing hostility towards church leaders in the country.
Director of advocacy, Anna Lee Stangl, told Premier Christian News that armed cartels in the country are deeply opposed to the church, as they consider it a threat to their operations.
"Pastors tend to be preaching things like peace and rejection of violence, rejection of illegal activities," she said. "That can cause an issue for them recruiting new members... we've seen a very concerning uptick in targeted attacks on pastors. This was something we saw in the 1980s and 90s, and then it seemed to diminish. But in the past few years, there's been a resurgence."
Pastor Ortgea is survived by his wife and children, who were with him at the time of the attack.
The Colombian Council of Evangelical Churches (CEDECOL) said: "This event brings sorrow not only to his family and congregation, but to the entire Christian church in Colombia. We raise our voice in defence of life, calling for justice, peace and an end to all forms of violence that continue to shatter homes and communities."
CSW has urged the Colombian government to address the issue by offering additional protection to church leaders.
"We've been calling now for a few years for the government to reinstate church leaders under the National Protection System. It'd be great to pray for that as well, that church leaders in Colombia would have access to protection schemes that do exist, but right now they're excluded from that," she added. "That would be a major step forward."