This week, Colombian President Gustavo Petro removed the national police director who had cited using exorcisms to catch fugitives.

Gen. Henry Sanabria was a staunch Catholic appointed in August of last year.

I guess his unorthodox methods didn't allow him to last very long...

Although neither Petro nor the Defense Ministry has provided specific details regarding Sanabria's dismissal, it is known that the ministry was conducting an internal investigation into whether Sanabria had improperly allowed his religious beliefs to interfere with his duties, according to AP.

Colombia is a predominantly Catholic country, but still, Sanabria sparked a debate about the influence of religious beliefs in the police force when he casually mentioned police forces using exorcisms to apprehend drug kingpins and guerrilla leaders in an interview with Semana Magazine.

"The existence of the devil is certain. I have seen him. I have felt him."

Petro was famously sworn in as the country's first-ever leftist president last August. Both he and Interior Minister Alfonso Prada said they are not persecuting Sanabria for his religious beliefs but that there should be a clear separation between religious beliefs and the state.

The president put out a short and sweet Tweet thanking Sanabria for his work without mentioning the exorcisms.

I appreciate the hard work of General Henry Sanabria and General Yackeline Navarro in the @PoliciaColombia. The new director of the Police will be General (R) William Salamanca, he is a Major General of the Reserve, with more than 37 years of experience in the institution.