Hundreds of Italian priests condemn what they say is ‘genocide’ happening in Gaza

Under the slogan “Christ died in Gaza,” a network called “Priests Against Genocide” says it sees “in the exhausted people of Gaza and in the Palestinian people living under occupation the presence of Christ himself who identifies with the poor, the hungry, the thirsty, and the stranger, as written in Matthew 25 of the Gospel.”

The network was founded in Italy by Catholic priests.

At an online press conference on Sept. 15, the group stated its purpose is to “pray and bear witness to a peace that is ‘disarmed and disarming’; support Christian communities in the Holy Land; denounce every war crime and every form of genocide — such as the one currently being committed against the Palestinians — and promote a culture of reconciliation and accountability.”

More than 550 priests from 21 countries — the majority of them Italian — have signed on to the initiative. Seven bishops from around the world, including the archbishop of Rabat, Morocco, Cardinal Cristóbal López Romero, have also joined.

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