Argentina celebrates for the first time in its history the Day of Evangelical and Protestant Churches, coinciding with 31 October, the 507th anniversary of the Protestant Reformation.

Law 27.741, passed on 18 April, which establishes every 31 October - the date of the Reformation - as ‘Evangelical and Protestant Churches’ Day‘, is thus being applied.

That day, in 1517, is commemorated as the moment when the German monk Martin Luther published his 95 theses against the Church of Rome, marking the beginning of what would later be known as the Protestant Reformation.

The celebrations in Argentina will be spread throughout the week, with several national and provincial events and also on social media.

This Monday, 28 October, was the start and main gathering of the week, in the National Auditorium of the Palacio Libertad.

It is estimated that more than six million people (approximately 15.3% of the population) belong to the more than 25,000 evangelical churches in Argentina.

Large attendance at the Palacio Libertad

The meeting was organised by the Christian Alliance of Evangelical Churches of the Argentine Republic (ACIERA) and filled the national auditorium of the Palace.

Among those present were the vice-president of the Argentinian government, Victoria Villarruel, the minister of Foreign Affairs, International Trade and Worship, Diana Mondino, and national parliamentarians such as Nadia Márquez, of evangelical faith.

Several religious confessions and institutions have also accompanied the celebration, such as the Argentinean Episcopal Conference (CEA), the Islamic Centre and the Latin American Jewish Congress.

Those present were able to view a journey through the history of the evangelical churches in Argentina and enjoyed an orchestra with more than 40 musicians, conducted by Jorge Randazzo, together with a choir of more than 100 voices.

Vice president Villarruel and Minister Francos expressed their appreciation for the presence of the evangelical churches, especially in these times of strong social demands, while praising the efforts of ACIERA in particular.

The event was broadcast live on ACIERA' s youtube channel and on the Canal Luz television channel.

‘We celebrate the historical identity of millions of citizens’

The president of ACIERA, Pastor Christian Hooft, proclaimed in his speech that it was “not a religious festival”. “We celebrate the historical identity of the faith of millions of Argentine citizens. We celebrate, together with the friendly institutions that are with us today, plurality, diversity and equality”.

“We celebrate the 5 solas of the monk Martin Luther: ‘Christ Alone, Scripture Alone, Grace Alone, Faith Alone and Glory be to God Alone’, which were an emblem that remained and strongly influenced culture, knowledge and science. Today, this Christian faith holds millions of people in the world, and in our country”, he said.

On the other hand, Hooft underlined: “We are living in complex times. Many years of crisis after crisis. An enormous rate of poverty and cultural and moral degradation. Although we have faith in God, we do not support magical thinking. To get out of this state requires a lot of effort, and the commitment of everyone, and of course the help of Almighty God. We cannot come out, without unforgiveness, without justice and without respect for individual freedoms. A divided people will not prevail. This friend-enemy logic and this denigration of those who think differently paralyses and inhibits us as a nation. This mania for deconstructing everything to achieve nothing gets us nowhere, it is more of the same. We must perceive and call things as they are, not pretend to be distracted, speak the truth and leave euphemisms aside”.

The president of ACIERA added: “Poverty is a calamity. Evangelical churches stand with the needy as the Lord taught us, but we do not praise poverty. There is no virtue in it for its own sake”.

The evangelical pastor also recalled that this year, 2024, the first evangelical chaplaincy for the police has been created in the city of Buenos Aires and in the provinces of Misiones, Chaco and Neuquén.