The international Catholic charity Aid to the Church in Need (ACN) is organising activities to commemorate Red Wednesday on 20 November in over than twenty countries. This annual event aims to shed light on the persecution faced by Christians worldwide and the fundamental right to religious freedom.
Throughout Europe, the Americas, and Oceania, approximately 300 ACN events will take place in hundreds of cities. What initially started as a single day of solidarity, during which churches and secular buildings were illuminated in red, has now evolved into a week-long or even month-long series of prayer vigils, testimonies, conferences and exhibitions in many countries. Some regions have even adopted the term “Red Week” or “Red November” to encompass these extended activities.
A significant highlight of this year’s Red Wednesday is the release of the 2024 edition of “Persecuted & Forgotten?”. The ACN report examines the situation for Christians in 18 countries of particular concern regarding persecution, revealing that the conditions for Christians in the majority of these countries have either worsened or remained unchanged, with only one showing slight signs of improvement. While the report was officially presented in English, Dutch, and French-speaking countries in October, German, Italian, and Spanish versions will be unveiled throughout November.
Australia will mainly be focusing on Christian persecution and suffering in the Holy Land. A total of 22 geographical dioceses and five Eastern Catholic eparchies in Australia have committed to mark the event in some form or other, many of which will be lighting their main cathedrals in red. This is double the number of dioceses that participated in 2023. This year, for the first time, two dioceses in New Zealand will also be taking part in Red November.
In Canada, on 20 November, a special mass will be held in Montreal and the Dome of St. Joseph’s Oratory, the largest shrine to St Joseph in the world, will be lit in red in commemoration. A Red Wednesday vigil will be held in Toronto as well.
Chile, a country that has witnessed the repeated burning of churches, and Mexico, where priests have been killed for denouncing injustice and fighting for human dignity, will also participate in this global initiative. In Colombia, Sister Gloria Narvaez, who was kidnapped in Mali by terrorists, will share her testimony.
Europe in Red
Most of the activities and events for Red Wednesday will be taking place in Europe. In the Netherlands, Switzerland and Germany, hundreds of churches will light in red. Germany is also focusing on an ecumenical approach, and has secured the support of a well-known local Evangelical music band called “Koenige und Priester” or “Kings and Priests”. The band will hold a concert which up to 1200 people are expected to attend, and which will be streamed live on Catholic and Evangelical TV and radio stations. On Thursday, 21 November, the “Persecuted and Forgotten?” report will be officially presented in the Diocese of Fulda, with livestreaming
For several years, France has held a Night of Witnesses, with first-hand testimony from victims of religious persecution, and this year, for the first time, this very successful event will be integrated into Red Week. The Night of Witnesses will tour several French cathedrals, along with an exhibition on Christian persecution. ACN France will focus on the situation in Armenia, Pakistan and Burkina Faso.
Spain will have a full-on programme of events for Red Wednesday this year, including a traveling exhibition titled “The Beauty of Martyrdom.” The exhibition will be displayed in Madrid, Sevilla, and Zaragoza before visiting various dioceses and Catholic universities across the country. The Cathedral of Almudena, the Sagrada Familia in Barcelona, and the Basilica of Covadonga will be illuminated in red, as will the Amphitheatre of Tarragona, which is of great symbolic value, as the spot where the first martyrs of what is now Spain were killed for their faith.
In the United Kingdom, Catholic schools have been actively participated in Red Wednesday for several year. This year ACN will hold a one-hour livestream where different schools can share what they have been doing to raise awareness about Christian persecution. On the evening of November 20, the annual Red Wednesday Mass will be held at London’s Brompton Oratory, featuring the presentation of the “Courage to be Christian” award. Additionally, ACN’s UK national office will host events at the Palace of Westminster in London and the Scottish Parliament in Edinburgh to spotlight the hardships faced by displaced Christians, especially children, due to conflict and persecution worldwide.
On November 20, 24 of Ireland’s 26 cathedrals will be illuminated in red, along with the world’s largest statue of St. Patrick atop Slieve Patrick Mountain. The national Marian and Eucharistic Shrine in Knock will also be illuminated red to highlight global Christian persecution as part of ACN Ireland’s Week of Witness.
Red Wednesday events have been confirmed in many other countries, including Portugal, Slovakia, Austria, Italy, Belgium, Malta, and the Philippines. Those interested in organising their own initiatives or learning more about existing ones, should contact their local national offices, or, if their country does not have an ACN delegation, please contact ACN International directly.
By Filipe d’Avillez & Maria Lozano.
