President Gustavo Petro was in Barranquilla to attend the baptism of his grandson Luka Samuel. The president arrived directly from Cartagena, accompanied by a strong security scheme, but without his wife Verónica Alcocer.
The visit, which took place on the morning of Saturday, June 8, was not part of his official agenda, but was to accompany his son Nicolás in the religious ceremony held at the La Inmaculada Concepción church, in the north of the city.
The president arrived in the Atlantic capital protected by an extensive security operation that included the support of the National Army and members of the Barranquilla Metropolitan Police. This deployment was concentrated in the area of Carrera 57 and Calle 68, where the church is located, ensuring the tranquility of the event.
The president’s presence was not previously confirmed, but Laura Ojeda, Nicolás Petro’s partner, shared photographs on social networks that confirmed his participation in the baptism. Ojeda, a lawyer and model from Barranquilla, published on her Instagram account: “Today Luka Samuel received the sacred sacrament of baptism, child of God, you are blessed, you are great and you were born to bless.”
According to the president in his last meeting with Pope Francis, “I was speaking with the community of Saint’Egidio, who knows the country a lot, has worked here, and has specialized in peace issues from their churches and sites. There, in that place, we talked about a possibility that I conveyed to Pope Francis, which is to be able to do it, it is complicated to be able to do it, but to have a round of peace, of conversations, of dialogue on peace with the ELN,” he said.
