Some 200 priests march to the Vatican against “genocide” in Gaza

Oprotesters also asked to break the silence in that situation.

This march of the Fathers against the alleged “genocide”, a network of religious who began this initiative last year and currently has more than 2,500 priests, religious and bishops from 67 countries, traveled the streets of Rome, leaving the church of Santo Spirito in Sassia, passing through the embassies of Lebanon and Palestine, and Via della Conciliazione, which links Rome to Vatican City.

The demonstration, in which posters with phrases such as “Christ died in Gaza” were seen, ended in front of the headquarters of Italian society of arms engineering Leonardo.

The participants, who carried olive branches in their hands, carried a huge shroud with the names of the 309 children murdered by the Israeli army in Gaza.

The priests explained that people “cannot remain silent in the face of the humanitarian tragedy of the Palestinian civilian population in the Gaza Strip and other occupied Palestinian territories” and that “this network was not created to foster hatred or division, but to give a unified voice to the many personal initiatives that already express denunciation and demand justice, in fidelity to the Gospel and the Italian Constitution”.

“ We offer this prayer for all children who died after the ceasefire. Not to fear. May justice enlighten the leaders of the nations so that they have the courage to abandon the plans of death”, thus began one of the moments of prayer of the participants during the march.

Xavier Morlans, diocesan priest of Barcelona, said in statements to the Spanish news agency EFE that “at this time there is genocide in Gaza and ethnic cleansing in the West Bank”.

“Of course we must condemn Hamas’ terrible attack, which motivated 1,300 victims, rape of women, children murdered in their cribs. But the 77,000 dead that are what the Israeli army has already provoked, as the film ‘Naza’ tells us, chasing only one Hamas militant,” he added.

“ Not for ideological reasons, but following the Gospel, we went out to tell humanity that this is genocide and that we have to say: that’s enough,” the priest said.

For Don Paolo, an Italian parish priest, this gesture happens “just when the United Nations General Assembly begins and we need to give a signal of what should happen at the UN”.

“Our gesture is to raise awareness and also give a signal to the Catholic Church, not only in Italy, but also internationally,” he added.