Pope Rejects Trump’s “Board of Peace” Invite

The Vatican will not be joining Donald Trump’s “Board of Peace,” announcing Tuesday that it was turning down a January invitation from the White House.

“For us, there are … some critical issues that should be resolved,” said Cardinal Pietro Parolin, the Vatican’s secretary of state. “One concern is that, at the international level, it should above all be the U.N. that manages these crisis situations. This is one of the points on which we have insisted.”

Pope Leo XIV has not been afraid to criticize Trump since being named pontiff last year. He told reporters in September that “someone who says ‘I am against abortion but I am in agreement with the inhuman treatment of immigrants in the United States,’ I don’t know if that’s pro-life.”

He expanded upon those views in November, saying, “I think we have to look for ways of treating people humanely, treating people with the dignity that they have. If people are in the United States illegally, there are ways to treat that. There are courts, there’s a system of justice.

“But when people are living good lives, and many of them for 10, 15, 20 years, to treat them in a way that is extremely disrespectful, to say the least—and there’s been some violence, unfortunately—I think that the bishops have been very clear in what they said,” Leo added. “I would just invite all people in the United States to listen to them.”

Leo has also spoken highly of the role of the U.N., which would go against Trump’s vision for the Board of Peace.

“In a world facing complex challenges such as geopolitical tensions, inequalities, and climate crises, the U.N. should play a key role in fostering dialogue and human support, helping to build a more just future,” Leo said in his State of the World address last month. “Efforts are therefore needed to ensure that the United Nations not only reflects the situation of today’s world, rather than that of the post-war period, but that it is also more focused and efficient in pursuing policies aimed at the unity of the human family instead of ideologies.”

The Board of Peace was established to oversee a transitional government in Gaza, which has been devastated by Israel in a three-year onslaught. But the organization appears to be a way to circumvent the United Nations and possibly line Trump’s pockets, as permanent membership on the board requires a $1 billion fee. Trump has refused to say where that money goes.

So far, 19 countries have signed up, including those with leaders close to Trump, such as Argentina, Saudi Arabia, Hungary, and the United Arab Emirates. Israel and Russia, each accused of war crimes, have both been invited, although only Israel has agreed to join. The Vatican and the pope’s rejection will hurt the board’s credibility, but that isn’t likely to change Trump’s mind.