Cardinal Pietro Parolin, Vatican secretary of state, announced that the Holy See “will not participate in the Board of Peace,” promoted by the U.S. president to address Gaza and other conflicts.
Cardinal Pietro Parolin, Vatican secretary of state, announced on Feb. 17 that the Holy See “will not participate in the Board of Peace,” an initiative promoted by U.S. President Donald Trump to address various conflicts around the world, such as the one in Gaza.
The Holy See “will not participate in the Board of Peace due to its particular nature, which is clearly not that of other states,” the cardinal told reporters after a meeting in Rome with the Italian government at Palazzo Borromeo on the occasion of the anniversary of the Lateran Pacts, which in 1929 recognized the sovereignty of Vatican City State.
When asked about Italy’s participation as an observer on the Board of Peace, Parolin stated: “There are some points that leave one somewhat perplexed. There are critical points that need to be explained.”
“The important thing is that an attempt is being made to provide an answer. However, for us, there are some critical issues that need to be resolved,” the cardinal said, according to Vatican News, adding that “one concern is that, at the international level, it is primarily the U.N. [United Nations] that manages these crisis situations. This is one of the points on which we have emphasized.”
White House: ‘An unfortunate decision’
Asked about the Vatican’s choice not to join the Board of Peace, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt called the decision “deeply unfortunate.”
“This is a legitimate organization where there are tens of member countries from around the world,” said Leavitt of the initiative, which she said aims to oversee “the reconstruction of a territory [Gaza] that has been plagued with violence, with bloodshed, with poverty for far too long.”
On Jan. 21, Parolin had told reporters that the Vatican was evaluating whether or not to participate in Trump’s Board of Peace, a question that has now been decided.
Trump’s Peace Board seeks to address global conflicts, with a particular focus on the Gaza Strip, as an independent body separate from the United Nations. More than 25 countries have announced their participation, including Argentina, El Salvador, Paraguay, Belarus, Bulgaria, the United Arab Emirates, Hungary, Egypt, and Morocco.
Parolin also spoke on Feb. 17 about the war in Ukraine, saying that “there is great pessimism,” since “neither side seems to have made any real progress toward peace, and it is tragic that after four years we are still at this point.”
This story was updated on Feb. 18, 2026, with the comments from Karoline Leavitt.
This story was first published by ACI Prensa, the Spanish-language sister service of EWTN News. It has been translated and adapted by EWTN News English.
