Catholic clergy march to Vatican, demand end to Gaza 'genocide'

About 150 Catholic priests and friars, a bishop and nuns from around the world marched to the Vatican on Tuesday and prayed in front of St Peter's Basilica, calling for an end to what they described as the "genocide" in Gaza.

The protesters carried a banner along the main boulevard leading to the Vatican with the names of 300 children who died during Israel's war in Gaza and southern Lebanon. They did not enter Vatican territory and were escorted by Italian police.

Organisers said the "Priests Against Genocide" network was formed in August 2025 and now includes more than 2,500 priests and bishops from five continents. Those marching on Tuesday included Franco Moscone, the bishop of Manfredonia in Italy.

After praying near the Vatican, the protesters went to the Palestinian and Lebanese embassies and then to the Rome headquarters of Italian defence manufacturer Leonardo SpA. The turnout was significantly larger than the march held by the group last year.

A number of experts, including some commissioned by a UN body, have said Israel's war in the Gaza Strip amounted to genocide. Pope Francis had once called for an investigation to determine whether a genocide had taken place. Israel has strongly denied the accusation, saying it tries to avoid harming civilians and blaming civilian deaths on Hamas because the militants operated in densely populated areas.

Israel launched its offensive in Gaza in response to the Hamas attacks of October 7, 2023, in which about 1,200 people, mostly civilians, were killed. Gaza health officials say more than 73,000 Palestinians have died. They do not provide a breakdown between civilians and militants, but say women and children make up nearly half of the dead. The protest in Rome brought together clergy and religious from different countries to press their demand for an end to the war.