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The Vatican will not join President Donald Trump’s newly formed peace board, its top diplomatic official said Tuesday, signaling the Holy See’s reluctance to participate in the post-war initiative.
The Vatican’s official news outlet reported that Vatican Secretary of State Cardinal Pietro Parolin said the Holy See “will not participate in the Peace Board because of its special nature, which obviously other states do not have.”
The peace board, which was chartered in January and includes about 20 countries, is tasked with managing recovery efforts in the Gaza Strip following the Israel-Hamas war.
Responding to questions about Italy’s refusal to join the board, Parolin said, “There are points that confuse us to some extent,” adding that “there are some important points that will need to find clarification.”
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The Vatican announced it would not participate in President Trump’s Gaza Recovery Board. (AP Photo/Andrew Medichini)
“The important thing is that efforts are being made to respond,” he said. “However, there are some important issues for us that must be addressed.”
Parolin added, “There is a concern that the United Nations should be the first to manage these crisis situations at the international level. This is one of the points we have emphasized.”
Pope Leo, the first American Pope, received an invitation to join the Peace Board in January.
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The Vatican refused to join the US-backed board overseeing post-war efforts in Gaza. (Alberto Pizzoli/AFP via Getty Images)
The initial charter signing ceremony in Davos, Switzerland in late January was attended by leaders of 17 countries, including presidents and other senior government officials from Latin America, Europe, the Middle East, and Central and Southeast Asia.
Israel formally came on board ahead of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s meeting with Trump at the White House last week.
Several other countries were also invited by the White House, including Russia, Belarus, France, Germany, Vietnam, Finland, Ukraine, Ireland, Greece and China.
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President Donald Trump’s newly formed peace board will proceed without Vatican involvement. (AP Photo/Ivan Vucci, File)
Poland and Italy said Wednesday they would not attend.
Trump announced Sunday that board members have pledged more than $5 billion in aid for Gaza.
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The president said the funding will be formally pledged during a meeting in Washington, D.C., on Wednesday
Fox News Digital’s Anders Hagstrom contributed to this report.
