Mykola Cardinal Bychok, Australia’s first official Ambassador for Red November, encouraged all Catholics to pray and offer Masses this month to spiritually strengthen persecuted Christians and honour today’s martyrs.
In his address to support the global Red November movement led by Catholic charity Aid to the Church in Need, the cardinal said supporting the persecuted church is a cause close to his heart and his own country’s history.
“Through Red Wednesday and Red November, we shine a light into places of darkness. We remind the world that behind statistics are real people: fathers and mothers, children and grandparents, whose only “crime” is the courage to believe, to pray, to live their faith,” he said.
“As a Ukrainian, I cannot speak about this reality without remembering our own history. Under Soviet rule, the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church was outlawed for more than four decades.
“Our bishops and priests were arrested, our churches were confiscated, our faithful forced underground.
“My own grandparents’ generation had to pray in secret, often in the quiet of their homes, not knowing if someone would denounce them. They lived in constant fear, yet their faith endured.”
“This is why Red November matters. It is not just about remembering distant lands. It is about remembering that the freedom we enjoy today was purchased by the courage and sacrifice of those who came before us. …Their witness strengthens our faith, their sacrifice calls forth our love.”