AN OXIDATION CATALYST FOR HYDROGEN CHLORIDE FORMED OF A CATALYTIC COMPONENT OF CUPRIC CHLORIDE AND AT LEAST ONE CHLORIDE OF A METAL SELECTED FROM THE GROUP CONSISTING OF AN ALKALINE METAL, AN ALKALINE EARTH METAL AND A RARE EARTH METAL IN COMBINATION WITH A SUPPORT FOR THE CATALYTIC COMPONENT IN THE FORM OF SPHEROIDAL PARTICLES COMPOSED ESSENTIALLY OF SILICA AND CONTAINING AT LEAST ONE COMPOUND OF A METAL SELECTED FROM THE GROUP CONSISTING OF A METAL OF THE GROUP II-A, III-B AND IV-B OF THE PERIODIC TABLE OF ELEMENTS, HAVING AN ATOMIC WEIGHT BELOW 178 AND ALUMINA, SAID SUPPORT HAVING A SPECIFIC SURFACE AREA WITHIN THE RANGE OF 40-400M.2/G.