Vatican says will not partake in Trump’s ‘Board of Peace’
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Pope Leo XIV delivering the Angelus prayer, a traditional Sunday prayer, from the window of his office overlooking Saint Peter's Square, in the Vatican City, on Feb 15.
PHOTO: EPA
- The Vatican will not join US President Trump's "Board of Peace", stating the UN effectively manages international crises.
- Trump's "Board of Peace" aims to resolve global conflicts, raising fears it could rival the United Nations.
- Nineteen countries joined; permanent membership costs US$1 billion. Russian President Putin's invitation drew criticism.
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ROME - The Vatican will not participate in US President Donald Trump’s “Board of Peace”, its secretary of state said on Feb 17.
The board, of which Mr Trump is the chairman, was initially designed to oversee the Gaza truce and the territory’s reconstruction after the war between Hamas and Israel.
But its purpose has since morphed into resolving all sorts of international conflicts, triggering fears the US president wants to create a rival to the United Nations.
Cardinal Pietro Parolin said that the UN manages the world’s top 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,” he said. “This is one of the, one of the points on which we have insisted.”
Since Mr Trump launched his “Board of Peace”
Countries have been asked to pay US$1 billion (S$1.26 billion) for permanent membership, and the invitation of Russian President Vladimir Putin, whose country invaded Ukraine in 2022, has drawn criticism. AFP
