The Vatican will not take part in US President Donald Trump’s “Board of Peace”, its Secretary of State said on Tuesday.
The board, chaired by Trump, was originally established to oversee the Gaza truce and the territory’s reconstruction following the conflict between Hamas and Israel.
However, its remit has since expanded to cover a wide range of international conflicts, raising concerns that the US president may be attempting to create a rival to the United Nations.
Cardinal Pietro Parolin emphasised that the UN is responsible for managing the world’s most pressing crises.
“For us, there are… some critical issues that should be resolved, let’s say,” he said.
“That is, at the international level, it is above all the UN that manages these crisis situations. This is one of the, one of the points on which we have insisted.”
Since Trump launched his “Board of Peace” at the World Economic Forum in Davos in January, at least 19 countries have signed its founding charter.
Countries have been asked to contribute $1 billion for permanent membership, while the invitation extended to Russian President Vladimir Putin, whose country invaded Ukraine in 2022, has drawn criticism.
