The #RedWeek campaign of Aid to the Church in Need (ACN), a 70-year-old Catholic initiative, unfolds between November 19 and 26, 2023: churches and famous monuments around the world are lit with red lights to draw attention to the persecution of Christians.
The first edition of the #RedWeek campaign was in 2015, when the statue of Christ Redeemer in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, was lit in red to raise awareness of the persecution of Christians in Iraq. In Italy, Rome’s famous Fontana di Trevi was lit in red.
More than 10,000 people in 12 countries are involved in this year’s edition. Over 100 parishes in Austria will lit in red their churches, while the building of the Austrian Parliament will join the campaign with red lights and a speech by the president of the Parliament, delivered after a thematic flash mob.
In Slovakia, many churches, as well as the Nitra and Bratislava castles have joined #RedWeek.
Other 100 churches in Germany are lit in red during the week, including the cathedrals in Passau, Regensburg, Freiburg, Dresda and Paderborn. The events include testimonies from Bishop Ashkarian from Aleppo, Syria, and Archbishop Sebastian Shaw of Lahore, Pakistan, two countries where Christians often struggle.
Over 150 Dutch Catholic and protestant parishes will organize religious services and meetings, extending church hours so that the faithful may pray and light candles for persecuted Christians.
On Wednesday, in Great Britaine, the campaign focused on the persecution of Christians in Africa: the Rosary prayer for Africa and a fundraiser for the victims of religious persecution.
ACN provides humanitarian aid in 140 countries. The Catholic organization publishes, once every two years, a report on religious freedom around the world.
Photo source: Aid to the Church in Need
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