Aid to the Church in Need to hold Red Week for persecuted Christians in November 2026

The pontifical foundation Aid to the Church in Need (ACN), the Catholic charity that supports persecuted and suffering Christians, will hold another Red Week in November 2026. The international initiative of prayer, testimony and awareness-raising will bring together more than 125,000 participants, at least 130 cathedrals and thousands of churches across several continents. Its aim is to draw attention to the persecution that millions of Christians face around the world because of their faith.

ACN launched Red Week in 2015. It combines the floodlighting of monuments and buildings in red with prayer vigils, personal testimonies, public events, school initiatives and meetings with Christians from countries where religious persecution is part of daily life. Regina Lynch, executive president of ACN International, said the foundation is promoting the campaign because of the decline of religious freedom worldwide and so that "the millions of Christians who suffer discrimination and persecution because of their faith" are not forgotten.

Figures on religious persecution

According to the foundation's latest data, 413 million Christians live in countries where there are grave violations of religious freedom, and around 220 million are directly exposed to persecution. ACN's Religious Freedom in the World Report 2025, which covers 196 countries, found that more than 5.4 billion people, almost two-thirds of the world's population, live in countries where that freedom is not fully guaranteed.

Of the 196 countries studied, 62 recorded grave violations: 24 are classified as countries of persecution and 38 as countries of discrimination. In 68 countries the report documented damage to or destruction of Christian property with a clear religious motive, with churches the main target in 62 of them. In 57 countries, Christians suffered physical violence or detention because of their faith, and in 33 they were forced to leave their homes because of religious persecution.

ACN documented the killing of 19 priests and religious during 2025. Another 28 were arrested or imprisoned for reasons connected to persecution.

The meaning of the color red

The red that gives the campaign its name recalls the blood of the martyrs and of all those who suffer for their faith. Lynch said each church or monument lit in red "represents people who cannot practice their faith freely." She said this year's campaign will also include an international petition in defense of the right to religious freedom, which people around the world are invited to sign.

Monuments and landmarks

Sites due to be lit in red in 2026 include the seat of the Federal Presidency of Austria, the statue of Christ the King in Almada, which overlooks Lisbon, the Basilica at Knock in Ireland and St. Mary's Cathedral in Sydney. On November 23, the European Parliament buildings in Strasbourg, France, will also be lit in red.

International participation

Planned participation varies by country. Austria expects about 350 parishes and buildings to take part; the Netherlands, more than 200 churches, including all of its cathedrals; and Germany, around 200 churches. In Ireland, all 26 diocesan cathedrals will take part. Australia and New Zealand plan close to 100 events, including Masses, prayer vigils and parish and school initiatives, with an estimated 20,000 people attending.

In the Philippines, Red Wednesday has taken firm hold in the life of the local Catholic Church. The Catholic Bishops' Conference of the Philippines officially designated the Wednesday after the Solemnity of Christ the King as Red Wednesday. In 2026 that falls on November 25, and all 87 dioceses in the country will take part, with a second collection at Masses to support persecuted Christians.

Testimonies from Church leaders in persecuted regions

Red Week 2026 also aims to give a direct voice to those who suffer persecution. Christians from the worst-affected countries will share their testimonies and personal experiences in a number of countries.

In Austria, Archbishop Bashar Warda of Erbil, Iraq, will take part in several events, among them a Mass, meetings with young people and a prayer march through Vienna expected to draw between 1,000 and 2,000 people. In Germany, Archbishop Benny Mario Travas of Karachi, Pakistan, will join the main events planned in Balderschwang, Leipzig and Berlin, alongside more than 100 parish events scheduled across the country.

Bishop Samson Shukardin, president of the Catholic Bishops' Conference of Pakistan, will take part in Red Week activities in the Netherlands and in a conference on religious freedom at the European Parliament in Brussels on November 18. In Switzerland, representatives and witnesses from Nigeria, Burkina Faso, Cameroon and Iraq will take part in between 40 and 45 events around the country.

In Portugal, Archbishop Ignatius Kaigama of Abuja, Nigeria, will take part in a week of Masses, meetings with the media, conferences, prayer vigils and a Night of Witnesses. Portugal will also run a seven-day spiritual itinerary titled "7 days to light up the world," organized with the Pope's Worldwide Prayer Network.