Agency Report
United States President, Donald Trump, has invited Pope Leo XIV to join his newly formed “Board of Peace,” according to Cardinal Pietro Parolin, the Vatican’s top diplomatic official.
Parolin said on Wednesday that the pope, who is the first American to lead the Catholic Church and has been critical of some of Trump’s policies, is currently evaluating the invitation.
“The pope has received an invitation and we are considering what to do,” Parolin told journalists. “I believe it will be something that requires a bit of time for consideration before giving a response.”
The Board of Peace was initially proposed as a platform to help end the conflict in Gaza, but Trump has since said it will have a broader global mandate to resolve conflicts worldwide.
While countries such as Israel and Egypt have accepted the invitation, several others have expressed caution, with diplomats warning that the initiative could undermine the work of the United Nations.
Pope Leo, elected last May, has adopted a firm but low-key diplomatic style.
He has repeatedly criticized the conditions faced by Palestinians in Gaza, including during a forceful Christmas Eve sermon.
As leader of the world’s 1.4 billion Catholics, the pope rarely joins international boards. The Vatican maintains a wide diplomatic network and holds permanent observer status at the United Nations, where it regularly takes part in debates.
Tribune Online reports that Trump recently invited world leaders to join the new international body, with a permanent seat priced at $1 billion, as the White House promotes the group as a US-led effort to support global peacebuilding.
However, French President Emmanuel Macron rejected the invitation to join the Board of Peace, prompting a reaction from Trump, who revealed that nobody wanted Macron in the first place.
(Reuters)
