Pope Leo Turns Down Trump's Board of Peace Offer

The Vatican has declined to take part in President Donald Trump’s Board of Peace, with its top diplomat saying international crisis management should be handled by the United Nations rather than a U.S.-led body.

Cardinal Pietro Parolin, the Holy See’s secretary of state, told reporters Tuesday that the Vatican would not participate in the initiative, which Trump has said would oversee Gaza’s temporary governance and potentially expand to address other global conflicts. The decision comes despite an invitation extended in January to Pope Leo XIV—the first U.S.-born pontiff and a critic of some Trump policies—and as the board prepares to hold its first meeting in Washington to discuss Gaza’s reconstruction amid ongoing international skepticism about the initiative.

This is a developing story. More to follow.