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The Vatican has announced that it will not participate in U.S. President Donald Trump’s proposed “Board of Peace,” despite an invitation extended in January to Pope Leo XIV to join the body.
The Holy See “will not participate in the Board of Peace because of its particular nature, which is evidently not that of other states,” said Cardinal Pietro Parolin, the Vatican’s top diplomat.
The “Board of Peace” was initially conceived to oversee Gaza’s temporary governance following the latest conflict in the region. However, Trump later indicated that the body — with himself as chair — would be expanded to address global conflicts more broadly.
While confirming the Vatican’s decision to decline participation, Parolin emphasized that the United Nations remains the internationally recognized body tasked with handling global crises.
“For us, there are some critical issues that should be resolved, let’s say,” he said. “At the international level, it is above all the UN that manages these crisis situations. This is one of the points on which we have insisted.”
Since taking office, Pope Leo XIV — the first American pontiff — has been outspoken in criticizing 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. Signatories include Argentina, Hungary, Saudi Arabia, Russia, and the United Arab Emirates.
Meanwhile, Italy and the European Union have indicated that their representatives plan to attend as observers, though they have not formally joined the board.
