Vatican Secretary of State Cardinal Pietro Parolin had already balked at the $1 billion entrance fee sought by U.S. President Donald Trump to become a member-state of his Board of Peace, so it was not exactly a surprise when the cardinal formally declined the invitation on Feb. 17.
Mr. Trump’s board has set itself a monumental first task—the reconstruction of Gaza. Mr. Trump has committed $10 billion to the effort (though he has not explained where the money will come from), and he said the board has already raised $7 billion from its founding membership toward reconstruction. It may take 10 times that amount or more to cover rebuilding costs in Gaza, devastated by two years of war.
America asked Andrea Tornielli, the editorial director of the Vatican’s Dicastery for Communication, to shed some light on the reasons behind the Holy See’s decision to pass on the Board of Peace. The interview was conducted over email.
Was the absence of a Palestinian voice and a role for the United Nations on the board part of the reason the Holy See decided not to join?
First, I would like to recall that both Pope Francis and Pope Leo XIV made many appeals for an end to the war in Gaza, a war that had disastrous consequences for civilians in the Gaza Strip. Although the end of the war came too late, after total destruction and a very high number of innocent victims, the Holy See welcomed the declared end of the fighting and, as it has always done, looked carefully at every attempt to build peace and rebuild what the war had devastated.
As Cardinal Secretary of State Parolin said in recent days, the Holy See has insisted on the importance of participation by the United Nations. It is important to reaffirm the role of international organizations.
Were Vatican officials concerned about suggestions that Palestinians should be “transferred” out of Gaza while reconstruction took place?
I would like to recall the words of Leo at the Angelus on July 28, 2025: “I appeal to the international community to observe humanitarian law and to respect the obligation to protect civilians, as well as the prohibition of collective punishment, indiscriminate use of force, and forced displacement of the population.”
This is a clear condemnation of possible plans for forced population transfer and ethnic cleansing. The Holy See recognizes the State of Palestine (of which the Gaza Strip is part) and believes that the future of Gaza cannot be built without the Palestinians.
Is the Holy See concerned that declining to join the Board of Peace may strain its relationship with the Trump administration?
As Cardinal Parolin explained, after receiving the proposal to participate in the Board of Peace, the Holy See took time to study the proposal and ultimately decided to decline the invitation in this phase. I do not believe that this will affect the possibility of maintaining an open dialogue.
Does the Holy See have an alternative vision for how the restoration of Gaza should proceed?
The Holy See continues to be actively present through the local Catholic Church and considers the involvement of the United Nations to be essential in pursuing the real plan which, at this moment, is of the utmost urgency: to come to the aid of more than two million people who have lost everything because of the war and who are in desperate need of the most basic services: housing, food, medicines, education, etc.
Just as international involvement in Gaza and reconstruction that does not exclude the Palestinians is considered important, at the same time, there is concern about what is happening in the so-called West Bank and the annexation policy that sees the Palestinian people as the target of attacks.
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