The Vatican has officially withdrawn from Donald Trump's "Peace Council"

The Vatican has officially confirmed its refusal to participate in the «Peace Council» initiative proposed by US President Donald Trump. Vatican Secretary of State Cardinal Pietro Parolin explained this decision by the special international legal status of the Holy See and the priority of the UN in resolving international crises. The refusal was announced in Rome at a bilateral meeting between Italy and the Holy See , the Tribune Chronicle reported.

Cardinal Parolin noted that the Vatican has reservations on a number of provisions of the draft, stressing that conflict resolution is the competence of the United Nations. He said the role of the UN as the central platform for the peaceful resolution of disputes is a principled position of the Holy See. «The Peace Council was initially conceived as a structure to coordinate the transitional governance and reconstruction of Gaza, but its mandate was later expanded. States from the Middle East, Asia and Europe have joined the initiative, with some Western countries, including EU states, participating only in observer status.

The Vatican’s refusal is due to its special status as a subject of international law. The diplomacy of the Holy See is traditionally based on the principles of neutrality and multilateralism, which allows it to maintain a mediating role and distance from geopolitical blocs. Emphasizing the priority of the UN, the Vatican reaffirmed its commitment to the existing system of international law and its autonomous diplomatic line.

Recall, earlier we reported that Pope Leo XIV, the first American in office, was on a collision course with US President Donald Trump. The latest divergence between the Vatican and the White House came after Trump’s comments about Venezuela, to which the pontiff responded by calling for the defense of the country’s sovereignty, indicating deepening ideological differences on a number of key issues.