Vatican City, February 19, 2026 – The Europe Today: The Vatican has announced that it will not accept an invitation to join the proposed “Board of Peace,” citing concerns that the initiative may conflict with the role of the United Nations in managing international crises.
Cardinal Pietro Parolin, the Vatican’s Secretary of State, stated on Tuesday that the Holy See “will not participate in the Board of Peace because of [the Vatican’s] particular nature, which is evidently not that of other states,” according to Vatican News and media reports.
He further emphasized that, at the international level, the management of crisis situations should primarily fall under the mandate of the United Nations. “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,” Cardinal Parolin said.
The Board of Peace initiative, chaired by U.S. President Donald Trump, is scheduled to convene in the District of Columbia on Thursday. President Trump announced via his Truth Social platform that participating states are expected to pledge more than $5 billion for humanitarian aid and reconstruction efforts in Gaza, which sustained extensive damage during the Israeli-Hamas conflict.
According to President Trump, member countries will also commit personnel to serve as an “international stabilization force” and undertake local policing responsibilities in Gaza.
Countries that have expressed their intention to join the Board of Peace include Albania, Argentina, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Bahrain, Belarus, Bulgaria, Cambodia, Egypt, El Salvador, Hungary, Indonesia, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Kosovo, Kuwait, Mongolia, Morocco, Pakistan, Paraguay, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, the United Arab Emirates, Uzbekistan and Vietnam, according to The Associated Press.
Last week, Indonesia’s army chief of staff, Gen. Maruli Simanjuntak, indicated that the country plans to deploy between 5,000 and 8,000 personnel to Gaza, primarily consisting of medical and engineering units.
Meanwhile, Hamas, which governs the Gaza Strip, has called on the Board of Peace to intervene and halt what it describes as Israeli violations of the October ceasefire agreement.
The Vatican’s decision underscores its longstanding position of advocating for multilateral frameworks led by the United Nations in addressing global conflicts, while maintaining the Holy See’s distinct diplomatic and moral role in international affairs.
