00:00The Vatican will not participate in US President Donald Trump's so-called Board of Peace initiative.
00:05It adds, efforts to handle crisis situations should be managed by the United Nations.
00:10Pope Leo was invited to join the board in January.
00:13The Vatican's top diplomatic official Cardinal Pietro Parolin says, quote,
00:18The Holy See will not participate in the Board of Peace because of its particular nature,
00:22which is evidently not that of other states.
00:25Leo is the first pope from the US and is a critic of some of Trump's policies.
00:30Under Donald Trump's Gaza plan that led to a fragile ceasefire in October,
00:34the board was tasked with overseeing Gaza's temporary governance.
00:37Trump later said the board, which he chairs, would be expanded to address global conflicts.
00:42It will hold its first meeting in Washington DC on Thursday to discuss Gaza's reconstruction.
00:47Italy and the European Union said their representatives will attend as observers
00:50as they are not members of the board.
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