MANILA, Philippines – Thousands of Catholics wore red and lit up their churches in the color of martyrs on Wednesday, November 27, in an annual remembrance of persecuted Christians around the world.
The observance called Red Wednesday is held worldwide every fourth Wednesday of November, spearheaded by the papal charity Aid to the Church in Need (ACN) since 2016.
In the Philippines, the main celebration was held at the Minor Basilica of Our Lady of the Rosary of Manaoag in Pangasinan with a Mass at 4 pm, a procession at 5:30 pm, and a candle-lighting ritual at 6 pm. It was led by Lingayen-Dagupan Archbishop Socrates Villegas, chairperson of ACN Philippines.
“Today, we want to say to our brothers and sisters who are persecuted: We are one with you,” Villegas said in his homily. “But I am very sure, if they could speak, if they could go online, they are also going to deliver the same message to us: We are one with you. We are offering our prayers for them. They are offering the merits of their persecution for us.”
Villegas, one of the country’s most politically outspoken prelates, said the persecution of Christians can come in different forms.
“Persecution does not always happen with guns and swords. Persecution can also happen through paid trolls, through fake news. Persecution can also happen by destroying the reputation of fellow Christians so that they will be less credible in proclaiming the Gospel,” he said.
“Persecution does not always happen through the jail or in prison. Sometimes, persecution can just happen by unjust laws that are biased against religion,” the archbishop added.
At San Roque Cathedral in Caloocan City, the observance of Red Wednesday was led by Bishop Pablo Virgilio David, president of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines, with a Mass at 6 pm. He is also one of 21 clergymen who will formally become cardinals on December 7.
Red Wednesday participants at San Roque Cathedral included former senator Leila de Lima who, like David, was one of the staunchest critics of Rodrigo Duterte’s war on drugs.
In his homily, David emphasized the importance of martyrdom in the Christian faith, as demonstrated by the leader of the apostles, Saint Peter, who was crucified upside down.
“Why is participation in the passion and death of Christ so essential for salvation? And my simple answer to that is because the salvation that God desires is redemption,” David said, adding that this is the “most challenging” aspect of the Christian faith.
“Most religions in this world presuppose that salvation is possible only for the good and for the deserving, and that all sinners and the undeserving people will simply end up in hell. Well, sorry, it is not so for Jesus,” said the incoming cardinal. “We call this redemption.” – Rappler.com