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Churches Around the World Lit up Red in Honor of Persecuted Christians

St. John’s Cathedral in the Netherlands is lit up for Red Wednesday on Nov. 23, 2022.
Jonah McKeown

By Jonah McKeown

CNA Staff, 21 November, 2024 / 2:05 pm (ACI Africa).

Catholic churches around the world were lit up in red on Wednesday as a display of solidarity with persecuted Christians.

Organized by the Christian aid group Aid to the Church in Need International (ACN), “Red Week” has been taking place in honor of persecuted Christians every November since 2016.

Ed Clancy, director of outreach for Aid to the Church in Need, emphasized in an interview this week with “EWTN News Nightly” the increasing persecution of Christians around the world documented in a recent ACN report.

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Spurred in large part by the 2014 destruction of the ancient Christian community in Iraq by the so-called Islamic State, Red Wednesday aims to draw attention to this pressing issue by illuminating cathedrals, churches, and public buildings in red. 

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Clancy told “EWTN News Nightly” that the day of solidarity coincides with the period leading up to the feast of Christ the King, contrasting the commercial focus of Black Friday with a call to recognize and support persecuted Christians globally.

He noted that approximately 1 in 7 Christians globally face persecution. He identified regions such as Pakistan, Nigeria, the Sahel region of Africa, Egypt, and India as areas where Christian persecution is particularly severe and on the rise. 

He urged the faithful to support persecuted Christians through prayer and awareness-raising efforts like Red Wednesday.

This year more than 300 official Red Wednesday events were held in 20 countries, including the United Kingdom, the United States, Canada, Australia, France, Spain, Portugal, Belgium, Germany, Italy, Slovakia, Austria, Ireland, Malta, the Philippines, Mexico, Chile, and Colombia.

Here’s a look at some of the church and government buildings that were lit up on Wednesday. 

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Jonah McKeown

Jonah McKeown is a staff writer and assistant podcast producer for Catholic News Agency. He holds a Master’s Degree from the University of Missouri School of Journalism and in the past has worked as a writer, as a producer for public radio, and as a videographer.

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