You are a voice for persecuted Christians
Press Release – For Immediate Release
Montreal, April 30, 2025 – On Wednesday, November 19, 2025, Aid to the Church in Need (ACN) Canada invites all parishes, dioceses, religious communities, schools, sanctuaries, Church institutions, and civil society groups in Canada to mark this important event on their calendars: Red Wednesday, an international day of awareness for the persecution of Christians around the world.
This year’s national theme—You are a voice for persecuted Christians—calls each of us to stand up for those who no longer have the freedom to express themselves, to pray, or even to live their Christian faith without the risk of reprisals. In many countries, men, women, and children are silenced, imprisoned, or even killed because of their faithfulness to Christ.
“In Burkina Faso, for example, catechists are kidnapped, and jihadists forbid Christian education in certain villages,” says Marie-Claude Lalonde, national director of ACN Canada. “The example of a man named Mathieu is, unfortunately, the fate of many Christians in Sub-Saharan Africa at the moment (read Mathieu’s testimony here: https://acn-canada.org/burkina-faso-mathieus-gethsemane/).
To demonstrate this solidarity, ACN encourages the organization of activities, such as the illumination of buildings in red, community prayers, Masses, testimonies, awareness-raising evenings, and the wearing of red in schools. The goal: to give a voice to the voiceless.
Last year, religious buildings were lit up in red in Montreal, Toronto, Calgary, Vancouver, Regina, and several other cities across the country. ACN Canada hopes that this mobilization will continue and be strengthened this year. “I’m hoping this event will also see a surge of support on a civil level, and that we will see monuments and civil buildings lit up in red to mark the day on November 19,” explains Lalonde. “Beyond Christianity, it’s a question of religious freedom, a fundamental right enshrined in the UN Universal Declaration of Human Rights, and therefore a universal right specific to each religious tradition, philosophy, school of thought, etc., that we’re talking about.”
The international Persecuted and Forgotten? 2022-2024 report, published last fall, paints a detailed picture of the situation for Christians in regions most hostile to the Christian faith. It is available for download in PDF format at the following address: https://acn-canada.org/publications-2/.
Lastly, a page dedicated to the event is available online. It will be reviewed shortly to include documents for the current year, but you can already visit it at: https://acn-canada.org/rw/
For further information:
Valérie Vulcain – vv@acn-canada.org | 1-800-585-6333, ext. 227.
