Vatican Declines to Join Trump’s “Board of Peace”

The Holy See has formally declined an invitation to join U.S. President Donald Trump’s newly formed “Board of Peace,” distancing itself from an initiative designed to oversee Gaza’s temporary governance and potentially address broader global conflicts.

Vatican Cites UN’s Central Role

Speaking on Tuesday, Cardinal Pietro Parolin said the Vatican would not take part in the initiative due to “its particular nature,” distinguishing the Holy See from other states.

“One concern is that at the international level it should above all be the UN that manages these crisis situations,” Parolin said, underscoring the Vatican’s longstanding support for multilateral diplomacy through the United Nations framework.

The Vatican, also known as the Holy See, maintains an extensive diplomatic network and holds permanent observer status at the United Nations, but rarely participates in political governing bodies of this kind.

Origins of the “Board of Peace”

The initiative emerged from Trump’s Gaza plan, which led to a fragile ceasefire in October. The board was initially tasked with supervising Gaza’s temporary governance during reconstruction efforts.

Trump later announced that the body — with himself as chair — would be expanded to address other global conflicts. Its first meeting is scheduled to take place in Washington on Thursday, focusing on Gaza’s reconstruction.

Pope Leo, the first U.S.-born pope and a critic of some Trump policies, had been invited to join the board in January but will not participate following the Vatican’s decision.

International Reactions and Criticism

Italy and the European Union have indicated their representatives will attend as observers, clarifying they are not formal members of the board.

The initiative has faced scrutiny from legal scholars and rights experts, some of whom argue that a U.S.-led body overseeing governance in a foreign territory resembles a colonial-style arrangement. Others have expressed concern that the structure could sideline the United Nations.

The board has also drawn criticism for not including a Palestinian representative, raising questions about inclusivity and legitimacy.

Gaza Conflict Context

The fragile truce in Gaza has reportedly been violated multiple times since October, with hundreds of Palestinians and four Israeli soldiers reported killed.

Israel’s military campaign in Gaza has resulted in more than 72,000 deaths, triggered severe hunger conditions and displaced the enclave’s entire population. Multiple rights experts, academic scholars and a UN inquiry have described the situation as amounting to genocide, a characterization Israel rejects, saying its actions constitute self-defense following a late 2023 attack by Hamas fighters that killed 1,200 people and saw more than 250 hostages taken.

Pope Leo has repeatedly condemned humanitarian conditions in Gaza. As leader of the world’s 1.4 billion Catholics, he has urged restraint and humanitarian access but has generally avoided direct involvement in political governance initiatives.