Catholic churches in six French dioceses will ring their bells at noon on August 15, the feast of the Assumption, in a gesture of solidarity with persecuted Christians in the Middle East.

At least three Swiss dioceses have also joined in the effort, which was launched by Archbishop Dominique Rey of Fréjus-Toulon. The campaign also calls for the faithful to gather in churches at noon to pray for persecuted Christians.

The date of the effort, August 15, marks the anniversary of the fall of Mosul and the Nineveh plains to the forces of the Islamic State—an offensive that drove tens of thousands of Iraqi Christians into exile.

Source: CatholicCulture.org