Red Week 2026 will see more than 125,000 people, 130 cathedrals, and a thousand churches across different continents take part in this initiative, launched by the pontifical foundation Aid to the Church in Need (ACN) in 2015 and known in several countries as Red Wednesday. The campaign combines the illumination of buildings with prayer vigils, testimonies, public events, school initiatives, and meetings with Christians from countries affected by persecution.
According to the latest figures provided by ACN, 413 million Christians live in countries where serious violations of religious freedom occur, and around 220 million Christians worldwide are directly exposed to persecution. Regina Lynch, Executive President of ACN International, recalls:
“Faced with this reality, the pontifical foundation is once again promoting the Red Week this November, an international mobilisation of prayer, witness and awareness-raising to draw attention to the deterioration of religious freedom and remember the millions of Christians who suffer discrimination and persecution because of their faith”.
Among the sites that will be illuminated in red in 2026 are the seat of Austria’s Federal Presidency, the statue of Christ the King in Almada (Lisbon), the Basilica of Knock in Ireland, St Mary’s Cathedral in Sydney, and on 23 November, the European Parliament in Strasbourg, bringing the call for religious freedom to Europe’s principal political institutions.
Participation is global: in Austria, around 350 parishes and buildings are expected; in the Netherlands and Germany, around 200 churches each; and in Ireland, all 26 diocesan cathedrals. In Australia and New Zealand, 20,000 people will join 100 events. Red Wednesday is also firmly established in the Philippines, where the Catholic Bishops’ Conference designated the Wednesday following Christ the King as Red Wednesday, taking place this year on 25 November across all 87 dioceses.
Red is more than just a colour for Red Week 2026
According to ACN’s Religious Freedom in the World Report 2025, more than 5.4 billion people live in countries where religious freedom is not fully guaranteed. Red recalls the blood of the martyrs and those suffering for their faith. In 68 countries, property damage with a clear religious component was recorded (churches being targets in 62 of them); in 57, Christians suffered physical violence or detention; and in 33, they were forced to flee. ACN documented the killing of 19 priests and religious in 2025, alongside 28 detentions. Lynch states:
“Every church or monument illuminated in red represents people who cannot freely practise their faith. Through Red Week, we want those suffering persecution to know that they have not been forgotten, and to remind the world that religious freedom is not a privilege but a fundamental human right. That is why, this year, we are also inviting people around the world to add their voices through a petition defending this right”.
Giving a voice to those experiencing persecution
The campaign does not aim merely to make persecution visible but to give a voice to those who experience it first-hand. Christians from the most severely affected countries will share their testimonies:
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Austria: Archbishop Bashar Warda of Erbil, Iraq, will participate in a Mass, youth meetings, and a prayer march through Vienna.
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Germany: Archbishop Benny Mario Travas of Karachi, Pakistan, will join events in Balderschwang, Leipzig, and Berlin, alongside over a hundred parish activities nationwide.
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Belgium and the Netherlands: Bishop Samson Shukardin of Pakistan will join Red Week activities and a religious freedom conference at the European Parliament in Brussels on 18 November.
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Switzerland: Witnesses from Nigeria, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, and Iraq will participate in roughly 45 events.
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Portugal: Archbishop Ignatius Kaigama of Abuja, Nigeria, will lead a week of Masses, vigils, media events, and a Night of Witnesses, along with a seven-day spiritual journey with the Pope’s Worldwide Prayer Network.
Through Masses, marches, and youth meetings, dozens of countries share the common goal of defending religious freedom throughout November.
Sign ACN’s Petition for Religious Freedom: Add your voice to those of millions calling for the right to live their faith freely. Sign here.