(LifeSiteNews) — A large association of Catholic priests and bishops, primarily from Italy, have denounced Israel’s ongoing “genocide” against the civilian population of Gaza, including “the war crimes, ethnic cleansing,” and “the use of starvation as a weapon of extermination.”

Utilizing the slogan “Christ died in Gaza,” spokespersons for this “Priests Against Genocide” initiative declared in a September 15 online press conference that they recognize the presence of Christ “in the exhausted people of Gaza and in the Palestinian people living under occupation.” They noted that Christ identifies “with the poor, the hungry, the thirsty, and the stranger, as described in Matthew 25 of the Gospel,” Catholic News Agency reported.

As of Thursday, the petition included the endorsements of over 1,100 priests from 28 countries—mostly from Italy—and 11 bishops, including Cardinal Cristóbal López Romero, archbishop of Rabat, Morocco.

“We cannot remain silent in the face of the tragedy affecting the Palestinian population in Gaza and the Occupied Territories,” said spokesman Fr. Pietro Rossini, an Xaverian missionary. “We do not speak as politicians but as pastors, as leaders of communities who believe in the Gospel and in the dignity of every human life. We do not represent only ourselves but also the communities entrusted to our care as shepherds in the Catholic Church.”

Priests demand respect for international law, including definitions of legitimate borders

Rossini went on to echo the petition’s affirmation of the Church’s stance on the conflict, stating, “We call for respect of international law, United Nations resolutions, and the rulings of the International Criminal Court against those who oppress and extinguish innocent human life.”

International law affirms the right of displaced Palestinian refugees and their descendants to return to their lands confiscated by the Israelis since 1948, defines the legitimate borders of both parties, and condemns Israel for multiple unlawful attacks, violations of human rights, and more.

Additionally, in November 2024, the International Criminal Court issued a warrant for the arrest of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his former defense minister Yoav Gallant “for crimes against humanity and war crimes,” including “starvation as a method of warfare; and the crimes against humanity of murder, persecution, and other inhumane acts.”

Rossini continued affirming the organization’s message “is not ‘against’ anyone but in favor of life and peace,” adding that while they “condemn the massacre of Oct. 7 [2023], the killings and kidnappings carried out by Hamas terrorists, we condemn even more strongly the disproportionate response, the violence, the killing of innocent people” by the Israeli government.

Disarm Israel to protect innocents, independently investigate October 7

The association’s press release quotes Pope Leo XIV’s desire for a “disarmed and disarming peace,” and the petition continues asking for Western political leaders to suspend “arms sales to those who commit crimes against civilians” and then pledging prayers for “[t]he disarmament of the state of Israel to prevent further deaths of innocent people.”

A further goal of the campaign is to “promote a culture of reconciliation” based on “truth and responsibility.” To this end the drive aims to encourage “independent and fair investigations into October 7, 2023, and what happened before and after that date.”

Since that time, the official narrative put forth by the Israeli government has been called into question by many popular commentators, including the late Charlie Kirk. Additionally, Israeli media has uncovered reports of the Israeli army deliberately killing even hundreds of their own citizens that day and blaming it on Hamas, while also fabricating atrocity propaganda which journalist Max Blumenthal proposes helped Israel create the “political space to destroy all of Gaza, kill a large percentage of the population and commit genocide.”

Earlier this week a United Nations commission under the UN Human Rights Council issued a legal analysis concluding, in the words of its chairman, that “Israel has committed genocide against Palestinians in Gaza.” This judgment echoes the findings of Israeli and other human rights organizations, Jewish Holocaust experts, political leaders, and many more.

‘We reject any possible accusation of anti-Semitism’

The “Priests Against Genocide” document also affirmed the signers’ “deep appreciation for the Jewish tradition, from which we have received the teachings of Jesus and from which we still draw grace and wisdom.”

“For this reason, we reject any possible accusation of anti-Semitism,” the document reads defining this sin as “hatred, discrimination, and violence against Jews as Jews.” They go on to demonstrate that even according to the definition offered by the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance, “our criticism of the political choices of the State of Israel does not fall under this definition.”

‘Every Catholic priest is invited to sign the petition’

The organization’s first event is to be held on Monday, September 22 in Rome coinciding with the close of the UN General Assembly the next day. There will be a prayer procession to Italy’s Parliament, including recitation of the Our Father in Arabic, along with testimonies of Palestinian lives lost in the current conflict.

“Every Catholic priest is invited to sign the petition against the genocide and the document that we proposed,” Fr. Rossini told LifeSiteNews in a private correspondence.

Bishops and priests may access the press release, the petition, and the growing list of signatures at the links provided.

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