The Vatican will not participate in US President Donald Trump’s so-called “Board of Peace” initiative, Cardinal Pietro Parolin, the Vatican’s top diplomatic official, said on Tuesday, while adding that efforts to handle crises should be managed by the United Nations.
Pope Leo, the first US pope and a critic of some of Trump’s policies, was invited to join the board in January. Under Trump’s Gaza plan, which led to a fragile ceasefire in October, the board was meant to supervise Gaza’s temporary governance. Trump thereafter said the board, with him as chair, would be expanded to tackle global conflicts. The board will hold its first meeting in Washington on Thursday to discuss Gaza’s reconstruction.