On September 24, representatives from eight political blocs in the Guatemalan Congress, together with leaders from various social organizations, formed a pioneering alliance in defense of religious freedom, life, and the family.

“To promote peace, development, and democracy, an unprecedented alliance is being formed today in Guatemala, uniting legislators from different political tendencies and representatives of civil society. What we do here can be a reference for the region,“ said Congressman Ronald Portillo, one of the leaders of the initiative.

The alliance emerged during the Encounter for Religious Freedom, Life, and Family, held on September 24 in the Guatemalan Congress, and will take shape with the creation of a common agenda that promotes legal initiatives and public policies.

Congressman Rodrigo Pellecer, president of the Parliamentary Front for Religious Freedom, pointed out that this agenda responds to the constitutional mandate: “The Constitution affirms that the State of Guatemala is organized to protect the individual and the family; that is our guide.”

For his part, Rodrigo Iván Cortés, vice president of the Political Network for Values (PNfV), emphasized that the alliance seeks to safeguard fundamental guarantees consecrated in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights: life (art. 3), the family as the natural nucleus of society (art. 16), and religious freedom (art. 18).

“If we want peace for our peoples, let us protect life; if we want development, let us protect the family; if we want democracy, let us protect fundamental freedoms,” he said.

Among the objectives of the common agenda will be, for example, to guarantee the implementation of the Public Policy for the Protection of Life and the Institutionality of the Family 2021–2032, to shield religious freedom, and to promote legislation that allows for dignified burial for babies who die during pregnancy.

Ligia Briz, executive director of the Family Matters Association (AFI – Asociación la Familia Importa), highlighted the value of cooperation between civil society and political representatives: “The link between the two is of paramount importance. This meeting has generated synergies and will give a solid boost to initiatives that positively impact the Guatemalan people.”

The encounter held in the Congress of the Republic was organized by the Parliamentary Front for Religious Freedom of the Guatemalan Congress, AFI, and PNfV, and established a space for dialogue between international experts and legislators. It is the result of the Madrid Commitment, launched at the VI Transatlantic Summit in December 2022, which proposes a decade of action in favor of freedom, family, and the culture of life.

Free to believe

The rector of the Catholic University of Costa Rica, Fernando Sánchez, emphasized that in Latin America there is peaceful coexistence among citizens who profess different religions, and that this uniqueness must be strengthened and safeguarded by avoiding the imposition of a “laicist” perspective on legislation.

“A secular State is not a State that persecutes faith. Healthy secularism always respects the right to religious freedom; it is not laicism, which unduly excludes religion from the public ambit and confines it to the private sphere,” he explained.

Researcher Scott Isaacson, from Brigham Young University’s International Center for Law and Religious Studies, underlined that the role of the state is not to control or limit religion but to guarantee freedom of belief, and he cited the Chilean model as a positive example.

Marcelo Bartolini, director of Article 18 and researcher at the Center for Advanced Social Research in Mexico, called on Guatemala to move forward in regulating conscientious objection as a tool to safeguard religious and conscientious freedoms.

Strong families, the cornerstone of prosperity

Valerie Huber, president of the Institute for Women’s Health and promoter of the Geneva Consensus, stated that strengthening Guatemala’s future requires strengthening the family: “Strong, healthy families are a fundamental factor in the prosperity of a nation.”

She noted that Guatemala has already taken significant steps in this direction by adhering to the Geneva Consensus Declaration (2021), creating the Public Policy for the Protection of Life and Family Institutionality 2021–2032, and promoting a program of systematic campaigns against domestic violence.

“I have witnessed firsthand the extraordinary potential of this nation when it decides to chart its own course in promoting the health and well-being of its people. And despite the pressures they face, there is potential for the government to advance what has already shown a beneficial impact in its early stages,” he said.

Julio Pohl, legal advisor to ADF International in Latin America, affirmed that appreciation for life and family are part of the culture, tradition, and principles of Guatemala and all the peoples of Central America. “Therefore, the deputies, who represent the people, must be the first protectors of that culture, that tradition, and those principles,” he said.

According to Pohl, one of the most important challenges for the country now is to ensure that the renewal of the Constitutional Court is carried out with judges who unambiguously recognize the right to life, from conception to natural death, as expressed in the country’s Constitution.

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