The Political Use of Religion in Honduras: Pre-Electoral Campaign 2024-2025

Abstract

Political life in Honduras during 2024–2025 was marked by a notable interaction between religious elements and power within the country’s main political forces. For example, President Xiomara Castro, from the Libertad y Refundación (LIBRE) party—the first woman to lead the country—resorted to symbols and a language of faith in official events, using references to God and participating in religious celebrations as part of her public projection. At the same time, opposition forces such as Salvador Nasralla and the National Party of Honduras (PNH) with Nasry “Tito” Asfura also openly adopted a religious narrative, albeit of a more conservative nature, despite the Constitution establishing Honduras as a secular state. These manifestations of religiosity in politics, present both in official discourse and party campaigns, demonstrate that faith continues to function as a symbolic resource for legitimization, mobilization, and ideological differentiation within the Honduran political arena. 

This paper provides a detailed description of these aspects during 2024–2025, organized into several sections: (1) religious elements employed by President Castro and LIBRE; (2) Salvador Nasralla’s religious narrative; (3) the use of religious elements by the National Party of Honduras and others; (4) attempts by “confessional” political parties; (5) the Catholic Church in political affairs; (6) the Evangelical Church in Honduran politics; and (7) religion in political violence in Honduras. Finally, an analysis and interpretation of the findings is presented, evaluating the implications of the intersection between religion and politics in that country. 

 The objective of this paper is to analyze the main ways in which religious elements and politics became intertwined in Honduras during 2024 and 2025. Particular attention is given to the actions of President Xiomara Castro and LIBRE, the positions of Salvador Nasralla and the National Party, as well as the role played by the most influential churches. Rather than merely recounting events, the aim is to show how these episodes are interconnected and reveal broader dynamics in the relationship between faith and power. The general question is: How was the use of the religious articulated in the Honduran pre-electoral campaign (2024–2025), and what were its effects on political dynamics?