Press Release – For Immediate Release
Red Wednesday 2023 — Persecution of Christians
Montréal, Wednesday, November 27, 2023 – Last Wednesday, November 15, in Canada, nearly forty events were held to mark Red Wednesday, not counting people in the Saskatoon area who were invited to attend an ecumenical service last Wednesday, November 22, at the Holy Covenant Evangelical Orthodox Church, in which Catholic Bishop Mark Hagemoen took part in. “It’s a real groundswell that we’re seeing from coast to coast,” says Marie-Claude Lalonde, National Director of Aid to the Church in Need (ACN). “Year after year, this denotes an ever-growing awareness of what religious persecution of Christians is. But moreover, the extent of the importance for the respect of religious freedom, regardless of the denomination.”
In terms of media coverage, Salt and Light Media broadcast the mass live from Marie-Reine-du-Monde Cathedral in Montreal on Wednesday, November 15, with a rebroadcasting by Radio VM the following day. In Toronto, the mass which attracted a significant crowd, was also broadcast on Salt and Light Media.
For more information about the events that are now available to view or listen to, see the list and links at the bottom of this press release.
The Bienheureuse-Dina-Bélanger parish and, behind the participants, Saint-Michel parish in Sillery (Québec City diocese). An invitation from parishioners on social networks to take part in Red Wednesday! (screenshot)
Finally, last week, events were held throughout Europe, especially on Wednesday, November 22, with the lighting up of prestigious buildings including the Trevi Fountain and Colosseum in Rome, Italy, as well as Chartres Cathedral in France.
The situation worsens in Burkina
Unfortunately, the latest news received by ACN confirms the need for this international event. “On November 20, we received information from Burkina Faso confirming that the situation for Christians there has continued to deteriorate,” says Mrs. Lalonde. “Last October, two scouts were killed right in the middle of a church in the village of Débé, situated in the country’s north-west. They were accused by terrorists of defying their orders. Then the same terrorists ordered the Christians to leave the premises,” she recounts.
Before 2015, Burkina Faso was a true model of religious freedom and coexistence, where the Christian and animist minorities were fully respected by the Muslim majority. “Today, because of these groups destabilizing the country, this model West African country is under threat.”
According to Msgr. Prosper Ky, Bishop of the Diocese of Dédougou, “Such an order [to leave their homes] is unprecedented.” In an interview with ACN, he said: “In fact, it is always an entire village that is evicted, never the followers of a particular religion.” “The State is doing everything it can to eradicate evil and drive out terrorism,” said Bishop Ky, “but we know that the solution cannot be purely military. We warmly thank all the benefactors of ACN who support us and enable us to alleviate the suffering of the people in this difficult situation.”
*Canadian events to watch or listen to and a newspaper article:
Mass in Toronto: https://slmedia.org/w/CDHzDymZ/JgUByrxN/red-wednesday-mass-for-persecuted-christians
Mass in Montréal: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QKRf0adPKnE
Article in The Catholic Register of Toronto: https://www.catholicregister.org/item/36128-red-wednesday-highlights-christian-persecution-worldwide
Le Verbe Médias, program On est pas du monde devoted to religious freedom :
excerpt from Aid to the Church in Need (ACN) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FoaUOWAabS8&list=PL_Q7RiYhsiDG8-MK-ld8-aUJyQKz_6bcH&index=5
If you have more on Red Wednesday, please contact us : vv@acn-canada.org.
