On Wednesday, the 28th of November, Catholic monuments at different locations around Portugal were illuminated in red to remind people about the persecution of Christians

The Monastery of the Jeronimos in Lisbon, the Clerigos Tower in Porto, the Sanctuary of Christ the King in Almada and the Congergados Basilica in Braga were among the monuments that were flooded with red light.

The “Red Wednesday” project is an initiative promoted by the Aid the Church in Need Foundation (ACN) whereby churches in the biggest cities around the world are lit up in the colour of red in solidarity with suffering Christians around the globe. By so doing, the project organisers hope to remind people about the harsh sufferings that are endured daily by persecuted Christians.

Portugal, the United Kingdom, the USA, Australia, and Ireland joined this initiative on the same day. In Canada, France, Italy, and Spain the most famous monuments had already been illuminated some days earlier.

In a recent study, ACN reported that more than 300 million Christians live in countries where they are persecuted for their faith.  Simply put, one out of five Christians live in a country where they are victimised because of their religion. According to a spokesperson for this pontifical foundation, “religious liberty is the most fundamental human right,” and if violated then other basic rights also fall by the wayside.  

Founded in 1947 as a Catholic aid organisation for war refugees and recognised as a papal foundation since 2011, ACN is dedicated to the service of Christians around the world, through information, prayer and action, wherever they are persecuted or oppressed or suffering material need.

Source, photo: Acidigital