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Alamy
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World News

Stand up for persecuted Christians by supporting Red Wednesday says Catholic charity

by Donna Birrell

Buildings around the world are being lit up in red today to raise awareness of the plight of persecuted Christians.

The annual event, which started in 2016, is known as Red Wednesday and is organised by the Catholic charity Aid to the Church in Need (ACN).

Dr Caroline Hull is ACN's national director and she's been speaking to Premier about the initiative:

"It’s fantastic because it's a date in the calendar where everybody has to stop and think about how many people there are in the world who are suffering, just to live out their Christian faith peacefully in other parts of the world.

"So we all come together, we ask churches, civic buildings, other places of worship, to light up red. We have lots and lots of schools that participate around the country, they have prayer services, they learn about what it's like for Christians in other parts of the world. They send messages, sometimes they have great red glasses they can wear. So it's great photo opportunity for social media, and we do everything that we can, on this day and throughout the month of November to raise awareness about what it's like for so many Christians in other parts of the world.

"Our research tells us that Nigeria is now the most dangerous place in the world to be a Christian and over 7600 people Christians have lost their lives in Nigeria over the past couple of years. It’s an ongoing situation.

"We have a petition at the moment, asking our government to stand up with us against the situation Nigeria's Christians are facing. It's not asking for preferential treatment, just asking for fair treatment.

"We are also asking people to wear red whenever they can, and to explain to people why they're doing it, to maybe attend an extra mass or a prayer service for somebody in the world who can’t do that and please pray for those enduring this persecution and discrimination and oppression. But also pray for those who are doing the oppressing, that they can be made to see the error in their ways, that what they're doing, is wrong."

Red is the colour of Christian martyrdom and the charity is also asking people to take a selfie wearing a red jumper and post a picture to social media with the hashtag #RedWednesday

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