Vatican Declines Seat on Trump's 'Board of Peace'

Cardinal emphasizes the UN should lead global crisis management

Published on Feb. 22, 2026

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The Vatican has declined an invitation from President Trump to join his new 'Board of Peace', which is set to hold its first meeting in Washington this week. Cardinal Pietro Parolin, the Holy See's top diplomat, stated that the Vatican believes the UN should be the primary body to manage global crisis situations, and that is one of the key reasons they will not be accepting a seat on Trump's new foreign policy board.

Why it matters

Trump's 'Board of Peace' was envisioned as a group that would oversee governance in Gaza and potentially address conflicts worldwide, but the Vatican's refusal to participate highlights concerns about the board's legitimacy and effectiveness, as well as questions about whether the UN should maintain its traditional role in global crisis management.

The details

While more than 20 countries have signed on to participate in Trump's 'Board of Peace', key Western partners like Mexico, Italy, and the EU have declined to join, and will only send representatives as observers to the inaugural Washington meeting. The Vatican's top diplomat emphasized that the UN should be the primary body to manage these types of global crises.

  • The 'Board of Peace' is set to hold its first meeting in Washington on Thursday, February 20, 2026.
  • On Tuesday, February 18, 2026, Cardinal Pietro Parolin announced the Vatican's decision to decline Trump's invitation to join the board.

The players

President Trump

The current President of the United States who proposed and is convening the 'Board of Peace'.

Cardinal Pietro Parolin

The Holy See's top diplomat, who announced the Vatican's decision to decline a seat on Trump's 'Board of Peace'.

United Nations (UN)

The international organization that Cardinal Parolin stated should be the primary body to manage global crisis situations, rather than Trump's 'Board of Peace'.

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What they’re saying

“One concern is that at the international level it should above all be the UN that manages these crisis situations. This is one of the points on which we have insisted.”

— Cardinal Pietro Parolin, Holy See's Top Diplomat (Reuters)

The takeaway

The Vatican's refusal to join Trump's 'Board of Peace' highlights ongoing questions about the board's legitimacy and effectiveness, as well as broader debates about the UN's role in global crisis management versus ad-hoc groups convened by individual nations.