The Vatican has declined an invitation for Pope Leo XIV to join U.S. President Donald J. Trump’s proposed “Board of Peace,” with the Holy See insisting that crisis management should remain under the authority of the United Nations.
Speaking Tuesday, Cardinal Pietro Parolin, the Vatican’s Secretary of State, said the Holy See would not take up the invitation, describing elements of the initiative as “perplexing” and noting that “critical issues” remain unresolved.
“One of our concerns,” Parolin told reporters, “is that at the international level it should above all be the UN that manages these crisis situations. This is one of the points on which we have insisted.”
The Board of Peace was initially conceived as a body to oversee reconstruction efforts in Gaza but has since evolved into what Trump describes as a global peacekeeping mechanism. The board is set to be chaired indefinitely by the U.S. president, raising concerns among several governments and diplomats about its expanded mandate and its potential impact on the UN system.
Parolin made the remarks after attending an event with the Italian government marking the anniversary of the Lateran Pacts, the 1929 agreements that established Vatican City as a sovereign state.
He added that the Holy See would not “participate in the Board of Peace because of its particular nature, which is evidently not that of other States,” underscoring the Vatican’s unique diplomatic role.
The Vatican is not alone in declining participation. Britain, France and Norway have also opted out, while Italy and the European Union are expected to attend only as observers. Critics of the initiative have pointed to Trump’s indefinite chairmanship and the board’s broadened scope as areas of concern.
Pope Leo XIV, the first U.S.-born pontiff, has placed peacemaking at the heart of his papacy. In a recent diplomatic address, he warned that “war is back in vogue” and stressed that the United Nations “should play a key role” in addressing global conflicts, with strict adherence to humanitarian law.
Since his election, Leo has repeatedly called for a ceasefire in Gaza, supported a two-state solution, and affirmed the right of Palestinians to live peacefully in their own land. During the Israel-Hamas conflict, he appealed for the release of hostages taken on October 7, maintained dialogue with Israeli leaders, and condemned rising antisemitism.
The pope has also criticized aspects of Trump’s immigration policies. His emphasis on international and humanitarian law contrasts with Trump’s January remarks to The New York Times, in which the president said he feels constrained primarily by his “own morality” rather than by international legal frameworks.
The Board of Peace is scheduled to hold its inaugural meeting in Washington on Thursday.
