Pope Leo XIV will not join President Donald Trump’s newly formed Board of Peace, the Vatican announced on Tuesday.
The entity — which exists to create a lasting peace in Gaza — was formed by Trump last month in Davos, Switzerland. Trump had invited Pope Leo to join the effort.
Vatican Secretary of State Cardinal Pietro Parolin said that the Holy See “will not participate in the Board of Peace because of its particular nature, which is evidently not that of other States,” per a report from Vatican News.
Parolin added that “there are points that leave us somewhat perplexed,” and there are “some critical points that would need to find explanations.”
But Parolin said the important element is that “an attempt is being made to provide a response.”
🚨 BREAKING
U.S. President Donald Trump has invited Pope Leo XIV to join his “Board of Peace” initiative. pic.twitter.com/7IWQh9YsxN
— CatholicVote (@CatholicVote) January 21, 2026
He added, “However, for us there are certain critical issues that should be resolved.”
One particular issue 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.”
In response to the declined invitation, an unnamed senior Trump administration official told the New York Post that “the Pope and Vatican are welcome to join the many other nations who are committed to the Board of Peace.”
“We’re not going to get into the details of diplomatic conversations,” the official added.
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt meanwhile called the decision “deeply unfortunate.”
“I don’t think that peace should be partisan or political or controversial,” she told journalists on Wednesday. “And of course, the administration wants all those who were invited to join the Board of Peace to join,” she added.
Pope Leo XIV will not be joining US President Donald Trump’s “Board of Peace,” the Vatican’s top diplomat said, adding that the United Nations should be left to handle crisis situations. https://t.co/dYkV0PjuHI pic.twitter.com/kqKGoWtGf5
— CNN International (@cnni) February 18, 2026
“This president has a very bold and ambitious plan and vision to rebuild and reconstruct Gaza, which is well underway.”
Trump envisioned the Board of Peace as a means to rebuild Gaza after more than two years of conflict with Israel.
The entity will seek to “mobilize global resources, enforce accountability, and guide the implementation of the next critical phases of demilitarization, governance reform, and large-scale rebuilding,” according to a fact sheet from the White House.
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