Catholic churches around the world were lit up in red on Wednesday as a display of solidarity with persecuted Christians.

Organized by the Christian aid group Aid to the Church in Need International (ACN), “Red Week” has been taking place in honor of persecuted Christians every November since 2016.

Ed Clancy, director of outreach for Aid to the Church in Need, emphasized in an interview this week with EWTN News Nightly the increasing persecution of Christians around the world, documented in a recent ACN report.

Spurred in large part by the 2014 destruction of the ancient Christian community in Iraq by the so-called Islamic State, Red Wednesday aims to draw attention to this pressing issue by illuminating cathedrals, churches and public buildings in red. 

Clancy told EWTN News Nightly that the day of solidarity coincides with the period leading up to the Solemnity of Christ the King, contrasting the commercial focus of Black Friday with a call to recognize and support persecuted Christians globally.

He noted that approximately 1 in 7 Christians globally face persecution. He identified regions such as Pakistan, Nigeria, the Sahel region of Africa, Egypt and India as areas where Christian persecution is particularly severe and on the rise. 

He urged the faithful to support persecuted Christians through prayer and awareness-raising efforts like Red Wednesday.

This year more than 300 official Red Wednesday events were held in 20 countries, including the United Kingdom, the United States, Canada, Australia, France, Spain, Portugal, Belgium, Germany, Italy, Slovakia, Austria, Ireland, Malta, the Philippines, Mexico, Chile and Colombia.

Here’s a look at some of the church and government buildings that were lit up on Wednesday.