Venice, Italy, Nov 21, 2018 / 00:09 am
To express solidarity with persecuted Christians, including Asia Bibi, a Pakistani woman recently acquitted of blasphemy, the city of Venice was illuminated in red light Tuesday night.
In a message of support for the initiative, Pope Francis said the event "will draw the due attention of all to the serious problem of discrimination that Christians suffer in many parts of the world."
"There are countries where a religion is imposed, others where there is violent persecution or systematic cultural mockery towards the disciples of Jesus!" he said.
Starting after dark Nov. 20, eight historic Venetian buildings, as well as the Rialto Bridge and the Basilica of Santa Maria della Salute, were lit up in the color red to bring awareness to the plight of persecuted Christians around the world.