Almost three years after the outbreak of the conflict in Palestine in 2023, the number of children killed in Gaza by Israeli forces currently stands at around 21,000. A staggering figure, but sadly one that is likely to rise further if the violence does not end.

To keep alive the memory of all the innocent victims, the Gaza Children’s Shroud project was launched in Italy. Organised in the United States by Priests Against Genocide, Doctors Against Genocide and Justice for All, and also endorsed by Pax Christi International, the project invites people to inscribe the names and ages of some of these children on large pieces of fabric. The pieces, created in different parts of the country, were joined together into a single shroud, which werepresented outside the United Nations in New York on 16 September and subsequently on the National Mall in Washington, DC.

An article published on page 5 of the Pax Christi Massachusetts newsletter reports on the shroud ceremony held on 9 September at Saint Susanna’s Parish in Dedham. The shroud, bearing the names written by parishioners, was incensed with a thurible, following a ritual traditionally performed at funerals as a blessing and a sign of reverence for the dead. Read the article here.

 

The project was also introduced at the end of the webinar “Preaching the Gospel in Time of the Ongoing Genocide in Gaza”, organised by Priests Against Genocide on 31 August. The webinar featured Cardinal Álvaro Ramazzini, Guatemalan bishop; Professor Omer Bartov of Brown University, one of the world’s foremost scholars of genocide; and Fr. David Neuhaus, S.J., a Jesuit of Jewish background who has lived and taught in Israel.

 

Pax Christi International encourages priests around the world to support the cause by joining Priests Against Genocide, continuing to convey a message of peace for Palestine through the words of the Gospel.

Below, you can sign on using the international form or the form specifically for priests in the United States.

🔹International form

🔹US form

 

The Priests Against Genocide network, together with the Catholic Caucus of Christians for a Free Palestine, is available at this link, where you can find a collection of resources and initiatives to support the Palestinian cause.

All the materials from the vigil at the Church Center for the United Nations are available on this page.