A group of atheists in Bogotá, Colombia, last week decided that they had had enough of religious rallies being staged in a local park without proper authorisation.
So, “in defence of public space”, members of the Asociación de Ateos de Bogotá unfurled a banner that stated “Ninguna iglesia por encima de las leyes” (“No church above the laws”) – and all hell broke loose. An angry mob tried several times to destroy the banner, as the video below shows.
The event was organised by celebrity Catholic priest Jesús Hernán Orjuela – popularly referred to as “Padre Chucho” – and his church. “Chucho”, according to Elisaul Rodriguez of Ateístas de Puerto Rico:
Has a history of conducting mass in that park even when the authorities haven’t authorized such activities.
On the other hand, ‘Chucho’, (who in the past has said that atheists ‘are terrorists’ and ‘cannot love’), alleged that protesters not only initiated the violence but also followed him and attacked him inside the church.
This was patently bullshit, and was, of course, vehemently denied by Ferney Rodríguez, spokesman of the Corporación Bogotana para el Avance de la Razón y el Laicismo (Corporation for the Advancement of Reason and Secularism in Bogotá).
The guitar-strumming Padre Chucho
Now I’d never heard of Jesús Hernán Orjuela until Rodriguez alerted me to this incident, and I decided to investigate further. What I learned was that this colourful, charismatic and “camp” priest is no stranger to controversy, and that, until 2011, was a popular TV personality. Colombia Reports wrote:
Padre Chucho, the Catholic priest that advised Colombian housewives on exorcism, cheating and other pressing moral issues, has apparently been taken off the air by television network RCN.
‘Cura para el alma’ (Cure for the soul) was never officially canceled, but is no longer seen on RCN’s morning show ‘Muy Buenos Dias’ (Very good morning).
“Muy Buenos Dias” was later described as Colombia’s “stupidest TV program”.
The Google headlines below show that Columbia Reports regarded “Chucho” – referred to in one of its reports as “Chuchu train” – with very little reverence.
I could not help but to chuckle over the hospital report that said:
Horribly upsetting times for Colombian housewives and lovers of camp television personalities; Padre Chucho, RCN’s own television priest, was taken to hospital after he was STUNG BY AN UNKNOWN INSECT.
Father Jesus ‘Chucho’ Orjuela was admitted to hospital after the sting of an unknown insect caused the television personality/ Catholic superhero to become SERIOUSLY UNWELL.
Hat tip: Elisaul Rodriguez