For one week, Aid to the Church in Distress (ACN) is hosting the "Redweek", a week dedicated to raising awareness about the treatment conditions of certain Christian communities across the globe. To mark this occasion, numerous iconic buildings around the world will be illuminated Wednesday night with blood-red spotlights. This initiative will spotlight two of the most symbolic monuments in the capital over the coming days.
Three Honored Countries
For this 2024 edition, ACN has chosen to highlight three countries due to the harsh conditions faced by their Christian populations. Firstly, there’s Burkina Faso, where Christians face repression from terrorist groups. Next up is Armenia, which has lost a piece of its territory to Azerbaijan. Lastly, there’s Pakistan, where Christian communities face significant challenges.
considered as second-class citizens.🩸#RedWeek2024
— 𝕊𝕀𝔸𝕋𝔼 𝕊𝔸ℕ𝕋𝕀 (@SiateSanti) November 15, 2024
Dal 16 al 24 novembre, chiese e monumenti saranno illuminati di rosso come atto di solidarietà e per focalizzare l'attenzione mondiale sulla persecuzione dei cristiani.
Si tratta della 'Settimana Rossa', portata avanti dalla fondazione pontificia Aiuto alla… pic.twitter.com/ZGbHYFcsV6
In total, according to the NGO Open Doors, which published a report in January 2024, there are 365 million Christians who are persecuted each year around the world because of their faith, which is 5 million more than in 2023. This is a dramatic situation that AED hopes to highlight with these bright displays around the globe.
A Global Action
If two locations in the French capital will be lit up in red, they are far from the only ones. In France, we also have the sanctuary of Lourdes, and in total, there are about 300 monuments spread across 20 countries: the Sagrada Familia, the Colosseum, the Corcovado... In short, just some spectacular places that are sure to catch everyone's eye.
Du 17 au 22 novembre, de nombreuses villes vont s'illuminer en rouge partout dans le monde, et notamment en France. Qu'est-ce que cela signifie ? On vous en dit plus sur l'événement organisé par l'Aide à l'Église en Détresse cette année : la #RedWeek ! @AEDenFrance pic.twitter.com/5fEaDgJWiV
— Aleteia (@AleteiaFR) November 14, 2024
During an evening, in addition to the Christmas windows and other festive lights, the City of Light will welcome two more glows, aimed at sparking reactions from people on social media and reaching as many people as possible with #RedWeek2024. And beyond any action, seeing Notre-Dame dressed all in red less than a month before its reopening is sure to be a fantastic spectacle.
