Despite an invitation extended to Pope Leo XIV to join the Board of Peace by US President Donald Trump in January, the Vatican has announced that it will not participate.
Cardinal Pietro Parolin, the Vatican’s top diplomat, stated that the Holy See will not participate in the Board of Peace due to its unique nature that differs from other states.
The “Board of Peace” was originally intended to oversee Gaza’s temporary governance following the most recent conflict there, but Trump has since stated that the body, with him as chair, will be expanded to deal with global conflicts.
While announcing that the Vatican would not participate, Parolin emphasized that the United Nations was the body currently tasked with dealing with global crises.
“For us, there are … some critical issues that should be resolved, let’s say,” he said.
“That is, at the international level, it is above all the UN that manages these crisis situations,” he said. “This is one of the, one of the points on which we have insisted.”
Since taking office, Pope Leo, the first US pontiff, has outspokenly criticized some of Trump’s policies.
At least 19 countries have signed the founding charter of the “Board of Peace” since Trump launched the initiative at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, in January. They include Argentina, Hungary, Saudi Arabia, Russia, and the United Arab Emirates.
Meanwhile, Italy and the European Union have said their representatives plan to attend as observers, as they have not joined the board.