Cardinal Parolin Emphasizes Vatican Will Not Join Peace Council

Vatican Secretary of State Cardinal Pietro Parolin. (Wikimedia Commons/Kremlin.ru)

JAKARTA - Foreign Minister Cardinal Pietro Parolin on Tuesday confirmed that the Vatican would not participate in the Peace Council initiative initiated by US President Donald Trump, adding that efforts to address the crisis situation must be managed by the United Nations.

Pope Leo, the first pope from the United States and a critic of some of President Trump's policies, was invited to join the council in January.

The Holy See "will not participate in the Peace Council because of its special nature, which is clearly different from other countries," Cardinal Parolin said, launching Al Arabiya and Reuters (18/2).

"One of the concerns is that, at the international level, the United Nations should manage this crisis situation. This is one of the points we have emphasized," he explained.

Under the Gaza Strip peace plan, which President Trump initiated and which resulted in a fragile ceasefire in October, the council is intended to oversee Gaza's interim government.

President Trump then said that the council, with himself as chairman, would be expanded to deal with global conflicts.

The council will hold its first meeting in Washington on Thursday to discuss Gaza reconstruction.

Countries have reacted cautiously to President Trump's invitation, with experts concerned the council could weaken the UN.

Many human rights experts say President Trump's oversight of the council to oversee foreign affairs resembles a colonial structure. The council launched last month has also faced criticism for not including a Palestinian.

Several of Washington's allies in the Middle East have joined, but its Western allies have so far stayed away.

Meanwhile, Italy and the European Union have said their representatives plan to attend as observers, as they have not joined the council.

The Gaza ceasefire has been repeatedly violated by Israel, which has since killed hundreds of Palestinians since it began in October.

The Israeli attack on Gaza has killed more than 72,000 people, caused a famine crisis, and caused the entire population of Gaza to be internally displaced.

Several human rights experts, scholars and UN investigators say it amounts to genocide.

Israel claims its actions as self-defense after Hamas-led militants killed 1,200 people and took more than 250 people hostage in a cross-border attack in October 2023.

It is known that Pope Leo himself has repeatedly condemned the conditions in Gaza. The Pope, the leader of 1.4 billion Catholics in the world, rarely joins international councils. The Vatican has extensive diplomatic services and is a permanent observer at the United Nations.