The National Cáritas Social Pastoral - Cáritas Paraguay, in collaboration with the Center for Social Ethics, carried out the Paraguayan Social Week 2025, a three-day event focused on the crucial theme of "Climate Change and Care of the Common Home". The main objective of the meeting, which took place from September 9 to 11, was to create a space for interdisciplinary reflection and generate concrete proposals to face the country's environmental and social challenges.

Reflection based on the Social Doctrine of the Church

The event was structured under the SEE-JUDGE-ACT methodology, inspired by papal documents such as the encyclical Laudato Si' and the apostolic exhortation Laudate Deum. Experts and leaders from various areas met to analyze the causes and effects of climate change from an ethical, theological and technical perspective.

Among the topics discussed, the ethical and socio-environmental dimension of the problem stood out. The event included the participation of specialists such as Jorge Sánchez and Guillermo Achucarro, who addressed the specific impacts of climate alterations in the Paraguayan context. In addition, Dr. Alipio Domínguez explored the importance of ethics as a guide for actions to care for creation.

The programming also included an analysis of government and civil society proposals. Debates on international conventions, the national legal framework and current public policies included the participation of figures such as Maximiliano Manzoni, Dr. Juan Carlos Decoud and Ethel Estigarribia. The exchange of ideas sought to strengthen the commitment of different sectors to promote urgent and necessary social transformations.

Pastoral agents from dioceses throughout the country actively participated, taking advantage of the space for training and exchange of experiences. The event opened its doors to the general public in specific sessions, reinforcing the relevance of the topic for the entire society.

Final manifesto: a call to action and "ecological conversion"

As a corollary of the debates, the Paraguayan Social Week 2025 culminated with the publication of a manifesto, an urgent call to society and the authorities to confront the "complex socio-environmental crisis" that affects the country. The document, titled Climate crisis: “Thinking about the common good and the future of your children” (Francis, Laudate Deum,60), warns about the acceleration of global warming and its visible consequences in Paraguay, such as droughts, floods and the disappearance of forests and streams.

The text underlines the urgency of a comprehensive vision for solutions, stating that "there are not two separate crises, one environmental and the other social, but only one and complex socio-environmental crisis." In this context, a strong call is made for citizen action to demand that the authorities fulfill their oath. The manifesto highlights the "growing unrest in the population due to the sins of action or omission of its authorities", lamenting the institutional weakness and corruption that subordinate the common good to particular interests.

Among the most notable points, the manifesto identifies a series of activities that accelerate climate change in the country, such as crypto-mining, monocultures and the pollution of waterways.

The document concludes with an invitation to "true ecological conversion" that It demands profound changes in lifestyles, in ways of producing and in ways of consuming, in solidarity with the most vulnerable sectors and future generations.

To delve into the details and commitments, click on Download file (button below) to read the manifesto.