In Rome, one hundred priests from different countries gather in prayer and public testimony for peace and justice in Palestine, denouncing violence and genocide in Gaza, with drawings by Gianluca Costantini
This afternoon in Rome, a group of 100 priests from various Italian regions and several countries gathered for a moment of prayer and public testimony in support of justice and peace in Palestine. Reaffirming their condemnation of the violence of October 7, they echoed the words of Pope Leo: “There is no future built on violence, forced exile, or revenge” (21.9.25), and prayed to God for an end to crimes against the Palestinian people and all massacres of innocents around the world. They also denounced the slaughter of Palestinian civilians and the destruction of the Gaza Strip, which, according to the overwhelming majority of international bodies and Non-Governmental Organizations, qualifies as a crime of genocide.
The initiative was organized by the newly formed network “Priests Against Genocide”, which has gathered over 1,600 signatures for a shared declaration. The signatories come from 50 countries across 5 continents and include hermits, diocesan and religious priests, bishops, and cardinals.
The event was held symbolically on the day the Palestinian issue was discussed at the United Nations and on the eve of the General Assembly.
The celebration at the Church of Sant’Andrea al Quirinale, conducted in five languages (Italian, English, French, Spanish, and Arabic), was accompanied by Stefano Vasselli, organist and music director of the Church of St. Paul Within the Walls, and renowned tenor Carlo Putelli.
After the liturgy, participants held a procession displaying drawings by artist Gianluca Costantini titled “Christ Died in Gaza”, which evoke the words of the Gospel of Matthew on the final judgment: “I was hungry and you did not give me food; I was thirsty and you did not give me drink…”
The march included stops at significant locations throughout the city, where poems by Palestinian authors were read and prayers were offered for victims of violence and for a future of reconciliation, peace, and justice.
The priests and bishops present expressed their desire to “initiate processes rather than occupy spaces” (Pope Francis, Evangelii Gaudium 223), and to encourage bold reflection within civil and ecclesial communities on the Palestinian genocide. Now is the time to continue the work by involving lay men and women, religious brothers and sisters – not to form a clerical group, – but to “mix in and leaven the whole dough,” as Jesus says in the Gospel, in order to defend and spread the values of peace and justice.
At the conclusion of the event, they invited everyone to renew their commitment to associations and ecclesial communities “engaged in solidarity with the population of the Gaza Strip,” whose efforts Pope Leo praised (Angelus, 21.9.25), including Pax Christi, which will organize a Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People in Padua on Saturday, November 29 – a day established by the United Nations in 1977.
Press contacts: Network “Priests Against Genocide”
E-mail: preticontroilgenocidio@gmail.com
