The world’s tallest statue of St Patrick has been illuminated in red to highlight the plight of persecuted religious minorities.

Bishop McGuckian visited the monument on Slieve Patrick dressed in the red vestments, the traditional colour of martyrdom, to inaugurate the lighting of the monument, which was constructed in the 1930s to mark the 1500th anniversary of St Patrick’s arrival in 432 to begin his mission.

The monument at Saul, Co. Down, where St Patrick began his mission in Ireland in 432AD, was lit with the blessing of the Bishop of Down and Connor Alan McGuckian SJ, whose diocese manages the national shrine in Ireland.

This is the first time the imposing monument on Slieve Patrick, which rises from the top of the small mountain to a height of 47 feet has been lit red for the ‘Week of Witness’ organised by the Catholic charity, Aid to a Church in Need, Ireland.

ACN, which supports 6,000 vulnerable communities in 140 countries, facilitates the illumination of churches, cathedrals and landmarks around the world, including the Colosseum in Rome to mark Red Wednesday on November 20.

Bishop McGuckian visited the monument on Slieve Patrick dressed in the red vestments, the traditional colour of martyrdom, to inaugurate the lighting of the monument which was constructed in the 1930s to mark the 1500th anniversary of St Patrick’s arrival in 432 to begin his mission.

Slieve Patrick is the highest point at Saul, close to where the patron saint of Ireland established his first church almost 1,600 years ago.

Speaking shortly after at the vigil Mass at St Patrick’s Catholic Church, just below the monument, Bishop McGuckian told parishioners: “We lit up Patrick’s statue tonight and it will remain lit up for the week in solidarity with the Christians persecuted to this day. Some people think there could be 250 Christians suffering violence even unto death every single day. There are 50 countries in the world where Christians are regularly persecuted and dying often.

“So this week you will look up at the mountain and you will see it at night all in red. Remember to pray for our brothers and sisters all over the world who at this very moment, this very day, are being persecuted for boasting that ‘Jesus Christ is Lord’,” he said.

The bishop said the word martyr means ‘witness’ and encouraged all Christians to witness to the truth.

“There is a great tradition of Christians saying ‘Jesus Christ is Lord’ and meaning it very, very seriously,” said the bishop, “Because Jesus is their life and they know it is so important.”

“Please God none of us will have to die for this but it would be wonderful if we were able to live for it. Because if our faith is worth dying for it is all the more worth living for,” Dr McGuckian said.

He said Christians lost their lives for proclaiming ‘Jesus is Lord’ from the beginning of the Church.

“Men, women and children in their droves died because they would not stop saying ‘Jesus Christ is Lord’ and that is part of our story. The important thing is that not just that we resist but that this boast of ours ‘Jesus Christ is Lord’ touches our hearts because we know we have a God who is close to us and who loves us,” he said.

He added: “As you know, in this place that we live, it was around here that this boast was first heard in Ireland. It was here that Patrick said ‘Jesus Christ is Lord’ and he invited our ancestors and now us to share in the mission and the boast.”

The Bishop spoke of Fr Ragheed Ganni, who served in Down and Connor, and was killed in 2007 after Mass, along with others, when he returned to his native Iraq and insisted on celebrating the Eucharist.

He recalled a priest from Nigeria, working in the Diocese of Raphoe in Co. Donegal, who regularly received reports of priests and catechists and other Christians being killed back home.

He also referred to images of 21 Coptic Christians, construction workers, who were kidnapped and killed in Libya by Isis in 2015 because they would not deny that ‘Jesus is Lord’. “They boasted Jesus Christ is Lord and they died.”

Michael Kelly, Director of Public Affairs for Aid to the Church in Need, Ireland, said St Patrick’s monument was ideal to illuminate as the famous saint was himself persecuted during his mission, while some of his converts were martyred.

“In the 21st Century, you might be forgiven for assuming that religious tolerance and freedom are universally recognised and respected. However, Christians across the globe continue to face varying degrees of persecution, discrimination, and hostility. While the nature and intensity of this mistreatment differs from region to region, the phenomenon remains disturbingly widespread, affecting millions of believers in both overt and subtle ways.”

He said the Week of Witness was vital for raising awareness.

“Red Wednesday is at the heart of the week, and many parishes have heeded the call to hold special liturgies and prayer vigils for those persecuted, and sadly often forgotten,” Mr Kelly said.

Mr Kelly thanked the sponsors who lit St Patrick’s Monument, including the Diocese of Down and Connor, the parish of Saul, the Knights of St Columbanus (CK12) in Downpatrick and Newcastle, and NIAVAC (Audio Visual Ltd) in Belfast.

Knock Shrine in Co. Mayo, and St Peter’s Cathedral in Belfast are among the Irish seats also being illuminated in red.

Aid to the Church in Need is an international Catholic pastoral aid organisation which was established in 1947. In 2019, Pope Benedict raised it to the status of a ‘Papal Charity’. ACN Ireland is headquartered in Dublin.