The Senate approved on August 26 a bill creating National Evangelical Church Day in Paraguay, to be observed on the last Sunday of October. The approved text does not create a national public holiday. The proposal will still be reviewed by the Chamber of Deputies and, if it advances, will proceed through the remaining stages of the legislative process.
The approved version changed the text originally introduced by senators Orlando Penner, Lizarella Valiente, Blanca Ovelar and Gustavo Leite, which had set the observance for October 31. That date was replaced by a movable Sunday. The designation will be institutional and commemorative, without establishing mandatory time off for workers. A public holiday had been discussed before the vote, but was not included in the approved text.
The article requiring the Ministry of Education and Science (MEC), through its Vice-Ministry of Worship, to include the date in the school calendar was also removed. Blanca Ovelar proposed the deletion, which the full chamber approved after a brief debate. An attempt by Senator Yolanda Paredes to postpone consideration did not succeed.
In practical terms, the change limits the measure to official recognition and commemoration: it creates neither automatic time off nor an obligation to add the date to the school calendar. That distinguishes the initiative from a policy that would alter school operations or working schedules and defines the future law's institutional scope.
The initiative seeks to recognize the historical, social and spiritual presence and contribution of Evangelical communities in Paraguay. The text, however, prompted objections from the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Paraguay (IELPA) and the Evangelical Church of the River Plate (IERP), which are calling for a review of the future law's name and the historical rationale presented by its authors.
In a statement addressed to Senate President Basilio Núñez, IELPA and IERP argued that the date should be called “Protestant Reformation Day” or simply “Reformation Day.” According to the organizations, October 31 refers to the publication of Martin Luther's 95 Theses in Wittenberg in 1517 and represents a milestone shared by different Protestant traditions.
The churches also criticized the emphasis placed in the bill's rationale on the Anglican missions led by Wilfred Barbrooke Grubb in the late 19th century. According to IELPA and IERP, the rationale should also recognize German-speaking immigration and institutions linked to the Lutheran tradition, such as IERP, Colegio Goethe and IELPA.
IELPA and IERP say that IERP originated in an association established in 1893 and that a first Protestant temple they cited was inaugurated in 1894. The organizations also say that IELPA consolidated its work in the country beginning in the 1930s. These historical details are presented by the organizations themselves and require independent verification before being treated as established facts.
The organizations also say their work included schools, cooperatives and community institutions in different Paraguayan departments. For now, the bill retains the name approved by the Senate and will be submitted for review by the deputies.