On Wednesday, 19 November, St George’s Catholic Cathedral, Southwark, was dramatically bathed in red light as a symbol of solidarity with Catholics and other Christians around the world who suffer persecution and oppression for their faith.
#RedWednesday is in its ninth year and is an initiative of the Catholic charity Aid to the Church in Need (ACN UK).
This year, a sung Mass was celebrated at St George’s by Bishop Nicholas Hudson, Bishop-elect of Plymouth and featured music from the Cathedral’s choir. The Mass was followed by the presentation of ACN UK’s Courage to be Christian award.
#RedWednesday, which was established in 2016, is an opportunity to shine a light on the suffering of millions who are persecuted for their faith, and to encourage support for them through prayer, action and awareness building. To help Catholics to be proactive in speaking up against the persecution of Christians, ACN UK has launched its Article 18 petition advocating for global religious freedom. The initiative calls on governments and international organisations to protect Article 18 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights – which guarantees the right to freedom of thought, conscience and religion. Learn more here.
If you feel you can, you can support the work of Aid to the Church in Need with a secure online donation. The #RedWednesday campaign supports projects such as trauma centres where widows and orphans receive help, material support to repair churches after they’ve come under violent attack, and also to fund seminarians, who can be a point of contact for all those who are suffering.
