Vatican Firmly Rejects Membership of Trump's Board of Peace

Jakarta, VIVA – The Vatican has declared its refusal to join the Board of Peace (BoP), the peace council initiated by United States President Donald Trump.

The Vatican’s decision was conveyed directly by its Secretary of State, Cardinal Pietro Parolin.

“The Holy See will not participate in the Board of Peace,” Cardinal Parolin stated, as quoted by Vatican News on Thursday, 19 February 2026.

He explained that the refusal was based on the Vatican’s distinctive character, which differs from that of other nations. Furthermore, he noted that several aspects of the initiative required further clarification.

Cardinal Parolin also stressed that the handling of international crises should be the responsibility and authority of the United Nations, not another body.

“At the international level, it should be the UN that manages crisis situations. This is one of the points we continue to emphasise,” he said.

The Board of Peace was officially launched on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum (WEF) 2026 in Davos, Switzerland, on Thursday, 22 January 2026.

US President Donald Trump personally led the signing of the Board of Peace charter. More than a dozen countries have joined as members, including Indonesia.

Meanwhile, Trump announced that Board of Peace member nations would commit to disbursing more than US$5 billion (approximately Rp84 trillion) for reconstruction and humanitarian efforts in Gaza at the board’s inaugural summit in the US on Thursday, 19 February 2026.

In a post on Truth Social on Sunday, Trump wrote that member nations had also committed to deploying thousands of personnel for a UN-authorised stabilisation force and local police in the Palestinian territory.

“On 19 February 2026, I will once again join members of the Board of Peace at the Donald J. Trump Peace Institute in Washington, D.C., where we will announce that member nations have pledged more than 5 billion US dollars for humanitarian efforts and reconstruction in Gaza,” Trump wrote on his social media platform.