Pax Christi alarmed by Trump’s ‘pay-to-play’ Board of Peace

Cardinal Pietro Parolin that the Holy See had received an invitation to participate in the board and was evaluating how to respond like other governments around the world.

The Catholic peace movement Pax Christi International expressed “profound concern” about the establishment of US President Donald Trump’s “Board of Peace”.

In a statement on 23 January, the day after its launch, Pax Christi said “the initiative risks masking power politics and geopolitical interests under the rhetoric of peace, without addressing the structural causes of injustice and violence”.

“The structure, mandate, and underlying assumptions of the Board of Peace give rise to serious questions regarding political legitimacy, international law, and the right of peoples to self-determination,” the statement said, responding to the proposals for the board to resolve conflicts. Pax Christi particularly criticised the absence of Palestinians from its plans for Gaza.

“Palestinians, the primary rights-holders and those most affected, are excluded from meaningful decision-making roles,” it said, warning that, “a peace process that excludes the Palestinian voice cannot deliver justice, dignity, or lasting peace.”

Membership of the board appeared contingent on financial contributions, Pax Christi said, with lifetime membership granted to those able to contribute very large sums. This “‘pay-to-play’ structure privileges wealth and power, excludes most countries, and undermines the principles of equality, accountability, and multilateral cooperation,” it said.

“Equally troubling are the implications for the United Nations and the multilateral system,” it continued. The Board of Peace “seems designed to function as an alternative, or replacement, to existing UN mechanisms, even though the UN remains the legitimate body mandated by international law to address peace, security, humanitarian protection and reconstruction.”

The board’s proposed plan for Gaza “does not reflect a genuine reconstruction effort” and “the absence of humanitarian NGOs, UN agencies, including UNRWA, and any explicit commitment to supporting the civilian population further reinforces this concern”, Pax Christi said.

The US formally established the Board of Peace on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum in Switzerland last week, with President Trump granted wide decision-making powers as its chairman.

Cardinal Pietro Parolin, the Vatican’s Secretary of State, confirmed that the Pope had received an invitation to participate in the board. He said the Holy See like other governments around the world was evaluating how to respond, though he noted that it could not participate in “economic aspects”.

The United Nations reported last week that more than one million people in Gaza still require shelter assistance, including repairs to damaged homes. A six-month-old Palestinian infant died last week from the cold in the territory.

Following a statement from Church leaders in Jerusalem on 17 January condemning “Christian Zionism” as a threat to Palestinians Christians in the Holy Land, the US Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee published a defence of what they had called a “damaging ideology”.

“Labels such as ‘Christian Zionism’ are too often used in a pejorative manner to disparage free-church believers, of which there are millions across the planet,” said Huckabee, a Southern Baptist minister, in a statement on social media.

“Christians are followers of Christ and a Zionist simply accepts that the Jewish people have a right to live in their ancient, indigenous and Biblical homeland,” he continued. “It’s hard for me to understand why everyone who takes on the moniker ‘Christian’ would not also be a Zionist.”

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