00:00Board of Peace be with you, or not. The Gaza Board of Peace meets for the first time today,
00:05but one world leader who won't attend? Pope Leo. The leader of the Catholic Church has turned
00:10down President Trump's offer to join the board that's tasked with rebuilding the war-torn region
00:14over fears that the group would undermine the role of the United Nations. The Vatican's
00:20Secretary of State said on behalf of the pontiff, quote, at the international level,
00:25it should above all be the UN that manages these crisis situations. This is one of the points on
00:30which we have insisted. The White House left the door open for the Holy Father to join in the future,
00:35but wouldn't comment on the details of any diplomatic conversations that have been had thus far.
00:40Today's board kickoff meeting, held at the recently renamed Donald J. Trump Institute of Peace in D.C.
00:45and led by President Trump himself, will figure out how to spend the first $5 billion pledged to
00:51further secure and begin rebuilding Gaza. As the chair of the group, the president has sweeping
00:56powers, including the sole power to issue vetoes and discretion on whether or not to invite countries
01:02to join the panel. Several U.S. allies, including France, Germany, and the U.K., have either turned
01:08down invitations or raised skepticism about the board's efficacy.
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