Has Bukele publicly discussed his faith or religious beliefs?
Executive summary
Nayib Bukele has addressed questions about his faith in public statements: he has repeatedly said he believes in God and Jesus and in the Bible while also disavowing membership in any particular denomination, and opponents have both smeared him as Muslim and accused him of being nonreligious to sway voters [1] [2] [3]. Reporting and institutional summaries show a pattern of careful, sometimes ambiguous public comments combined with political use of religious language and third‑party claims about his background [4] [2].
1. Public assertions: “I believe in God, in Jesus Christ, but I’m not very religious”
Bukele has publicly stated that he believes in God and in Jesus Christ and that he values the Bible, while also describing himself as “not a person who believes much in the liturgy of religions” and as not belonging to a specific religious denomination, a position reported by multiple news outlets and background briefs [1] [5] [4] [3].
2. Family background and visible religious signals that complicated the narrative
His family’s mixed religious history—an imam father and relatives with Christian or Jewish heritage—produced photos and anecdotes that fueled public curiosity and partisan attacks; images of Bukele praying in a mosque circulated in 2018–2019 and were used by opponents to claim Muslim affiliation even though Bukele pushed back and reiterated he did not adhere to a single organized religion [6] [2] [3].
3. Political context: smears, strategic ambiguity, and appeals to religious voters
During the 2019 campaign and after, rival campaigns and social media actors circulated claims that Bukele was Muslim or atheist to erode his credibility among a predominantly Christian electorate; government and international reporting record those smear campaigns and note Bukele’s repeated answers that he lacks a specific religious affiliation while still invoking Christian language when politically useful [2] [3] [7].
4. Use of religious language and relationships with faith leaders
Even while maintaining personal ambiguity about formal affiliation, Bukele frequently uses religious rhetoric—describing the fight against gangs as a struggle between good and evil, cultivating ties with religious leaders, and allowing faith‑based organizations to participate in some rehabilitation programs—indicating he leverages religious symbolism in public governance without declaring a denominational identity [4] [7].
5. Divergent portrayals: partisan and faith‑aligned commentators
Conservative religious commentators and sympathetic outlets portray Bukele as a Christian leader carrying out divinely sanctioned security work, while some religious organizations and critics stress his refusal to disclose denominational membership and warn that his instrumental use of spirituality is politically motivated; both narratives appear in opinion pieces and faith‑oriented coverage [8] [9] [7].
6. Limitations and the record of explicit self‑identification
The available official and journalistic records show Bukele has given clear, repeated statements that he believes in God and Jesus and respects the Bible, and that he does not belong to a formal religious denomination, but there is no definitive public record of him adopting an institutional religious identity such as membership in a church or mosque—reporting reflects his stated ambivalence rather than contradicting it [1] [2] [3].
Conclusion: direct answer
Yes—Bukele has publicly discussed his faith: he has explicitly said he believes in God and Jesus and in the Bible while also saying he is not especially religious in liturgy and does not belong to any specific denomination; outside actors have exploited his family’s Muslim, Christian and Jewish ties to advance competing narratives, but Bukele’s own public statements emphasize belief without formal affiliation [1] [2] [4] [3].