Red Wednesday: Millions persecuted for their faith

Red Wednesday Mass for Schools in Birmingham, Credit: Archdiocese of Birmingham

Source: Aid to the Church in Need

Established in 2016, Aid to the Church in Need's Red Wednesday campaign is an opportunity to shine a light on the suffering of millions who are persecuted for their faith. Red is the liturgical colour for the feast days of martyrs. On Red Wednesday, 19 November, many cathedrals, churches, and public buildings around the world lit up in red to show solidarity with suffering brothers and sisters.

St George's Cathedral, London, lit red for Red Wednesday and was the venue for the main national ACN (UK) event - a Mass on 19 November - celebrated by Bishop Nicholas Hudson, auxiliary in Westminster. At the Mass, catechist Tobias Yayaha from Sokoto, north-west Nigeria, received the ACN (UK) 'Courage to be Christian Award'. He was guest of honour at a Parliamentary Event at Westminster, earlier the same day.

The Archdiocese of Birmingham held its annual Red Wednesday Mass for schools at a packed St Chad's Cathedral, celebrated by Archbishop Bernard Longley of Birmingham and hosted by Aid to the Church in Need.

In Ireland, there were three special Masses celebrated to mark Red Wednesday. The first Mass took place in St Mary's Church, Belfast, the second in Newman University Church, Dublin. Mass in St Brendan's Cathedral, Loughrea was celebrated by Bishop Michael Duignan, and ACN's Davide Barbieri talked to the congregation about the work of ACN.

Internationally, more than 600 churches registered to turn red during the week 15-23 November in cities such as Vienna, Rome, Zurich, Lisbon, London, Brussels, Budapest, Berlin, Paris, Prague, Dublin, Toronto, Mexico City and Bogotá. This year marks the first time iconic Parisian landmarks, including the Obelisk of Concord, Pont Neuf, and Pont des Arts will be lit up in red as part of Red Week.

Some of the world's most emblematic cathedrals are also being illuminated in red. These include St. Michael's Cathedral Basilica and Mary Queen of the World Cathedral Basilica in Canada; Las Lajas Cathedral in Colombia; Worms Cathedral in Germany and cathedrals in Australia and New Zealand, including those of Perth, Hobart, Melbourne, Newcastle, Bendigo and Palmerston North.

According to the latest estimates from ACN's Religious Freedom in the World Report, 413 million Christians live in countries where religious freedom is severely violated. Of these, approximately 220 million live in countries where they are directly exposed to persecution.

LINKS

https://acninternational.org/

https://acnuk.org/