Pope Leo XIV has rejected an invitation from Donald Trump to join his proposed “Board of Peace” according to senior Vatical officials who have expressed serious concerns about the initiative and its place in global diplomacy.
This was confirmed this week by Cardinal Pietro Parolin, the Vatican Secretary of State, who said the Pope had decided not to take part in the project after reviewing it.
“For us, there are… some critical issues that should be resolved,” he said, as per The Independent. “One concern 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 comments bring an end to weeks of speculation following the revelation in January that Trump had personally extended an invitation to the Pope to join the board, which was originally intended as a way of overseeing a ceasefire in Gaza and reconstruction efforts after the devastating conflict between Israel and Hamas.
At the time, Parolin confirmed that the invitation had been received and that the Vatican was considering its response.
The Pope has received the invitation, and we are considering what to do; we are looking into it,” he said then, adding that any participation would not involve financial contributions because “we are not in a position to do so.”
That consideration period is now over — and the answer is no.
Trump has characterized the Board of Peace as a bold alternative to current international bodies, especially the United Nations, which he has dubbed ineffective and overly bureaucratic many times in the past.
Although the Board of Peace was first proposed as a Gaza-specific initiative, Trump has since indicated that it could be used to resolve a broad variety of international conflicts. He has characterized it as a decisive, results-driven forum that would be led by the United States.
More than $5bn (£3.67bn) has already been pledged, Trump said according to The National, for humanitarian and reconstruction efforts in Gaza. He also said that member nations would contribute personnel to an international stabilisation force and to local policing efforts, although few specifics have been released.
The board is expected to hold its first official meeting in Washington later this month.
However, according to the Vatican, the very same structure seems to be a part of the problem.
The spokesperson for the Pope said that the Holy See has concerns regarding the initiative’s potential to superseded the UN, an institution in which the Vatican has permanent observer status and where it has long advocated for a multilateral approach to peacekeeping and humanitarian intervention.
Controversial Guest List Raises Eyebrows
However, aside from the issues of structure and legitimacy, the proposed list of members for the board has also raised concerns in the diplomatic community.
European governments have been surprised, and in some instances, embarrassed, by Trump’s move to include Vladimir Putin, who has been waging war on Ukraine since February 2022, according to The Independent.
The Arab states, on the other hand, have been outraged by the inclusion of Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu, citing the Gaza war and the death toll of more than 72,000 Palestinians.
Adding to the controversy is the inclusion of former UK prime minister Tony Blair, who is set to take a seat on the board’s founding executive. The inclusion of Blair has been widely criticized, considering his continued support for the 2003 Iraq war, which the Vatican strongly opposed during its time.
Despite the criticism, dozens of countries, including Armenia, Azerbaijan, Egypt, Hungary, and the United Arab Emirates, have pledged to join the board in some form or capacity. Others, including several European countries and the EU, are set to attend the early meetings as observers.
A Complicated Relationship With Trump
The Pope’s decision is also the latest development in an already tense relationship between the Vatican and the Trump administration.
Since being appointed as the first American-born pontiff, Pope Leo XIV has not been afraid to speak out against Trump’s policies, especially those related to immigration.
Last October, he expressed doubts about whether the president’s tough stance was consistent with Catholic teachings.
“Someone who says I am against abortion but I am in agreement with the inhuman treatment of immigrants in the United States, I don’t know if that’s pro-life,” he told the media in Rome.
The White House quickly pushed back. Press secretary Karoline Leavitt said she “would reject there was inhumane treatment of illegal immigrants in the United States under this administration.”
“This administration is trying to enforce our nation’s laws in the most humane way possible, and we are upholding the law,” she added.
The Pope reinforced his position weeks later, supporting a statement issued by US bishops that condemned mass deportations and the treatment of migrants.
“I think we have to look for ways of treating people humanely, treating people with the dignity that they have. If people are in the United States illegally, there are ways to treat that. There are courts, there’s a system of justice,” he said, as per The Independent.
“But when people are living good lives, and many of them for 10, 15, 20 years, to treat them in a way that is extremely disrespectful to say the least – and there’s been some violence unfortunately – I think that the bishops have been very clear in what they said.
“I would just invite all people in the United States to listen to them.”
The Vatican’s hesitation to be seen as part of a peace organization led by the US also echoes the overall vision of Pope Leo, who has become increasingly dissatisfied with a militarized form of diplomacy. In January, addressing diplomats from 184 countries, the Pope spoke out against what he called the growing global “zeal for war.”
“A diplomacy that promotes dialogue and seeks consensus among all parties is being replaced by a diplomacy based on force,” he said. “War is back in vogue and a zeal for war is spreading,” he said, per the Reuters.
Although the Pope did not specifically refer to Trump, the speech occurred just after a contentious US military action against Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro.
The Vatican position isn’t about Trump himself but about principle. The Holy See favors multilateral policies, using moral influence rather than force of finances, and values neutrality. As Parolin made it clear, international crisis need to be addressed colectively.
“The Holy See will not participate in the Board of Peace because of its particular nature, which is evidently not that of other State,” he said. “There are points that leave us somewhat perplexed…and some critical points that would need to find explanations.”
For now, that means the Pope will remain on the sidelines as Trump presses ahead.
On Truth Social, the president has insisted the board “will prove to be the most consequential International Body in History,” adding: “It is my honor to serve as its Chairman.”
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