Pope Leo XIV Rejects Trump’s “Board of Peace,” Delivering Diplomatic Blow to U.S.-Led Gaza Initiative

President Donald Trump’s high-profile “Board of Peace” initiative — designed to oversee Gaza’s reconstruction and potentially expand into a wider global conflict-management forum — suffered a high-profile rebuff this week when Pope Leo XIV declined an invitation to participate, a move that underscores diplomatic resistance from established international actors.

The Vatican’s decision was articulated clearly by Cardinal Pietro Parolin, the Holy See’s secretary of state, during a press briefing in Rome. “The Holy See will not participate in the Board of Peace because of its particular nature, which is evidently not that of other states,” Parolin said, stressing that such efforts should be led by the United Nations rather than a U.S.-led coalition.

“One concern is that, at the international level, it should above all be the U.N. that manages these crisis situations,” Parolin said, according to Reuters reporting.

Vatican representatives have repeatedly emphasized that the Church’s diplomatic role functions best within established multilateral frameworks, and that a U.N.-centric approach to global crisis management remains essential.

Trump personally extended the invitation to Pope Leo in January as part of his effort to give the Board broader moral and political legitimacy. The invitation was widely publicized at the time, with Trump and his aides describing the board as a pragmatic response to the stalled Gaza peace process following the fragile ceasefire.

The board’s creation was endorsed by a United Nations Security Council resolution as part of the Trump administration’s plan to end the war between Israel and Hamas in Gaza. Israel and Hamas agreed to the framework last year, with a ceasefire taking effect in October. Both sides have since accused each other of violations. Gaza’s Health Ministry says more than 590 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli forces since the truce began, while Israel says four of its soldiers have been killed by Palestinian militants in the same period.

Trump has repeatedly framed the board as both humanitarian and strategic, noting that member nations have pledged more than $5 billion for Gaza reconstruction and relief efforts — a figure he is expected to reiterate at the board’s first meeting in Washington this week.

Critics, including senior European diplomats, have questioned the board’s governance model, its apparent lack of Palestinian representation, and the perception that it may undermine the United Nations’ coordinating mandate for post-conflict reconstruction and diplomacy.

Italy and the European Union have signaled they will attend the Washington meeting as observers rather than full members — a cautious stance that mirrors Rome’s own diplomatic posture. At the same time, some Middle Eastern states — including Egypt and Saudi Arabia — have participated in the board, indicating a patchwork of regional engagement even as traditional Western allies keep a measured distance.

Beyond diplomatic optics, the Vatican’s refusal carries symbolic weight: it comes from one of the world’s oldest diplomatic actors and a spiritual leader with wide influence. Pope Leo XIV has also been outspoken on issues related to multilateral cooperation and humanitarian principles, framing peacebuilding within the context of consensus and international law.

The clash between the Board of Peace and the United Nations now stands as a defining tension in how the world will approach Gaza’s future. Observers say the episode reveals much about the challenges Trump faces in mobilizing truly global support for initiatives that sit outside established institutions.

Featured image: Pope Leo XIV official portrait/Vatican Media