Vatican Declines Trump's Board of Peace Invite

The Vatican just confirmed that they declined an invitation to the Board of Peace, a new international effort led by President Trump.

The Holy See “will not participate in the Board of Peace because of its particular nature, which is evidently not that of other states,” confirmed top Vatican diplomat Cardinal Pietro Parolin.

One concern? Parolin says that the Vatican would like to see the United Nations head global peacekeeping efforts. “At the international level it should above all be the UN that manages these crisis situations,” Parolin noted. “This is one of the points on which we have insisted.”

But what actually is Trump’s Board of Peace? And is this move by the Vatican the snub it appears to be?

What is the Board of Peace?

The Board of Peace is a new international body President Trump rolled out early this year with the headline purpose of helping stabilize and rebuild Gaza after a long, brutal conflict – and then, potentially, tackling other global disputes too.

With Trump as chair, the new Board of Peace kicked off with a signing ceremony in Davos before its first big meeting in Washington, D.C. 

It's structured like a global club for peacemaking, complete with membership dues. Countries are invited to join, and if they pay $1 billion, they can stick around as permanent members; otherwise they get a three-year term that can be renewed.

So far, about two dozen states have signed on, including:

• Israel
• Saudi Arabia
• Qatar
• Turkey
• Egypt
• Jordan
• Indonesia
• Argentina
• Hungary
• Kazakhstan

As yet, many traditional Western powers remain sitting on the sidelines or attending as observers. 

The Vatican vs. the White House

Since his election, Pope Leo has projected a vision of the papacy that emphasizes diplomacy, care for migrants, peacebuilding, and international cooperation, continuing themes familiar from his predecessor, Pope Francis.

Vatican leadership under Leo has expressed reservations about several policies associated with Donald Trump’s time as U.S. president, particularly those involving immigration restrictions, border enforcement, and unilateral approaches to foreign policy. 

Leo, who is American, has been particularly vocal about the administration’s treatment of migrants. "We are disturbed when we see among our people a climate of fear and anxiety around questions of profiling and immigration enforcement," Leo said in a statement last year. He has at times leaned on scripture to emphasize his grievances.

 “How did you receive the foreigner, did you receive him and welcome him, or not? I think there is a deep reflection that needs to be made about what is happening,” he stated, regarding ICE’s at-times violent methods, mass deportations, and indefinite detainment of migrants.

The White House Responds

So far, the White House is leaving the door open for the Vatican to join the Board of Peace in the future. “The Pope and Vatican are welcome to join the many other nations who are committed to the Board of Peace and its guiding principles promoting stability and securing enduring peace,” said a White House official.

White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt, however, was more direct. “I think it’s deeply unfortunate. I don’t think that peace should be partisan or political or controversial,” she stated, boasting of the “tens of member countries” globally who have joined. 

The Vatican (perhaps strategically) positioned their decision as less about who is leading the effort and more about a philosophical difference over who should head global peacekeeping efforts – Washington D.C. or the United Nations.

But it’s no secret that Pope Leo and other top Catholic officials have been sharply critical of Trump’s policies foreign and domestic in his second term. Could that be a factor in their decision?

What do you think? Was the Vatican standing firm on their principles… or was this a strategic sleight? What role should the Catholic Church play in global peacekeeping efforts?