Press Release – For Immediate Release
Montreal/Königstein, November 9, 2023 — For close to 10 years now, several national offices of Aid to the Church in Need (ACN) have been highlighting Red Wednesday. In Canada, ACN is kicking off what is known as Red Week (#RedWeek, #SemaineRouge) early. The primary objective is to “shed light on the persecution of Christians around the world,” says Marie-Claude Lalonde, national director of ACN Canada, “as well as the growing loss of religious freedom, which is a fundamental right enshrined in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.”
At least 10 000 people are expected to take part in the many initiatives organized by ACN, parishes, religious communities, and even local communities in a dozen countries. Twenty cathedrals around the world will also be illuminated in red.
Canada: November 15th
In Canada, around 20 events have already been announced for November 15th, including the illumination of two well-known national shrines—Our Lady of the Cape Shrine in Cap-de-la-Madeleine and Saint-Joseph’s Oratory of Mount Royal in Montreal—as well as the illumination of St. Michael’s Cathedral and Mary, Queen of the World Cathedral, in Toronto and Montreal respectively. “The archbishops of these two dioceses (Msgr. Frank Leo and Msgr. Christian Lépine) will preside over the Masses, starting at 5 p.m. Everyone is invited to join in these celebrations,” adds Ms. Lalonde. The Masses will be televised by the Catholic channel Salt + Light from coast to coast to coast. “The Montreal Mass will be live, whereas the Toronto Mass will be broadcast immediately after the airing of an ACN documentary. So from 5 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. next Wednesday evening, Salt + Light TV will be focused on Red Wednesday,” adds Ms. Lalonde.
Furthermore, during the week of November 12, Marie-Claude Lalonde and Mario Bard, head of information at ACN Canada, will be guests on Le Verbe médias’ On n’est pas du monde podcast, where the discussion of the hour will be centered on religious freedom.
In addition to being broadcast on Salt + Light, KTO Radio, a French radio station, will also be airing the program. (Broadcast times available at the end of this press release.) Finally, the program will also be available on the Radio VM and Radio Galilée radio stations.
To register an event and for more information on Red Wednesday, please visit: https://acn-canada.org/rw/.
Elsewhere in the world
“Our latest Religious Freedom Report is clear: for the two-year review period in question, the situation with respect to religious freedom has deteriorated significantly. And for the most part, it is Christians who are bearing the brunt, with 75% of those subjected to associated crimes being of Christian faith. It is also confirmed that authoritarianism and religious fundamentalism are at the root of the worst cases of discrimination and persecution,” stresses Ms. Lalonde.
Whether in Germany, Austria, or the Netherlands (with more than 150 Protestant and Catholic churches illuminated), “the enthusiasm for Red Week, which began in Brazil in 2015, is showing no signs of waning but rather has become a not-to-be-missed annual event for many Catholics around the world,” says Lalonde, highlighting that “this unfortunately also indicates at which point religious persecution has become commonplace.”
In France, the cathedrals of Chartres, Bayonne, Reims, Angers, Bourges, and Versailles will be illuminated in red. In Paris, prayer and information events will be organized, with vigils at the Basilica of Sacré Coeur de Montmartre and the Holy Trinity Church—the latter which focuses on youth.
Finally, in the UK, the campaign will feature several elements, including the praying of 100,000 decades of the Rosary for Africa and the £100,000 ‘Matched’ Challenge for Africa (£100K4AFRICA), which aims to raise funds for projects related to a lack of religious freedom.
Broadcast schedule:
Televised Masses and special broadcast on Salt + Light TV:
5 p.m. – In French, live from Mary, Queen of the World Cathedral in Montreal
6 p.m. — Aid to the Church in Need documentary
6:30 p.m. — Broadcast of the Mass celebrated at 5 p.m. at Saint Michael’s Cathedral in Toronto
On n’est pas du monde special podcast episode on religious freedom. (In French)
The episode will air as scheduled during the week of November 12th.
Sunday evening on our social networks and on Spotify. Monday morning at 9 a.m. on Radio VM.
Monday evening at 7 p.m. on Salt + Light TV.
Tuesday morning at 8:35 a.m. on KTO Radio.
For information on the producer, Le Verbe Médias: https://le-verbe.com/radio/
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Aid to the Church in Need (ACN) supports over 5,000 projects every year in over 140 countries, helping Christians who are enduring oppression or lacking the resources for their pastoral needs to live out their faith. ACN has 23 national offices worldwide.
