From Syria to Slovakia, buildings are lit up in support of persecuted Christians

Königstein, Germany, Dec 2, 2021 / 05:20 am (CNA).

Hundreds of buildings across the world were lit up in solidarity with persecuted Christians in Red Week, an annual event organized by the charity Aid to the Church in Need (ACN).

This year’s commemoration, on Nov. 17-24, marked the first time that the eastern European countries of Ukraine and Bosnia and Herzegovina have taken part in the event, with Kyiv’s Greek Catholic Cathedral of the Resurrection of Christ and Sarajevo Cathedral illuminated in red.

Another highlight was the participation of the Maronite Cathedral of St. Elijah in Aleppo, Syria. The cathedral was badly damaged in the country’s ongoing war but rebuilt with help from ACN.

Also lit up in red were Sacré-Cœur in the French capital, Paris, and the cathedrals in Sydney, Melbourne, and Hobart in Australia.

On Red Wednesday, the final day of Red Week, ACN released a report declaring the treatment of Christian minority women and girls in parts of Africa, the Middle East, and South Asia a “human rights catastrophe.”

At the start of Red Week, the pontifical foundation announced it was donating $5.6 million to help Christian communities in Lebanon and Syria.