At least 80 Catholic churches and schools nationwide would be lit in red on Wednesday in honor of Christians who suffered or died for their faith.
Dubbed “Red Wednesday,” the one-day campaign on Nov. 22 seeks to raise awareness on religious persecution, according to the group Aid to the Church in Need (ACN).
All participating churches and schools would celebrate Mass and hold the lighting ceremony at 5:30 p.m., which would be followed by a prayer for all persecuted Christians.
In a statement, ACN said it was inviting “everyone to make a visible statement by wearing red and, if resources allow, light their own parishes or buildings or local monuments in red.”
Red signifies martyrdom in the Christian faith.
The Red Wednesday project is part of a global movement against religious persecution.
The Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines endorsed this year’s event.
ACN said “Filipinos find it difficult to grasp a reality where Christians can be persecuted” because the Philippines is predominantly Christian.
But “many are not even aware of how difficult it is to practice the Christian faith in some areas of Muslim Mindanao,” ACN said.
“We seem to have developed a blind spot regarding the nature and scale of Christian persecution in the world today,” it said.
ACN said that in 2016 alone, 90,000 people were murdered for their faith and nearly 500 million Christians were unable to freely practice their faith.
“These findings affirm the declaration of Pope Francis that there are more Christians suffering today than there were in the early years of Christianity,” it said.