The Holy See will not participate in President ’s newly established Board of Peace, the Vatican’s senior diplomatic official stated on Tuesday, indicating the Vatican’s hesitation to engage in the post-conflict initiative.

According to the Vatican’s official news service, Vatican Secretary of State Cardinal Pietro Parolin stated that the Holy See “will not take part in the Board of Peace due to its unique nature, which is clearly distinct from that of other States.”

The Board of Peace, established in January and comprising nearly 20 nations, is responsible for overseeing reconstruction efforts in the Gaza Strip following the Israel-Hamas conflict.

When addressing questions about , Parolin noted “there are aspects that leave us somewhat puzzled,” and added that “there are certain critical issues that require clarification.”

“What matters is that an effort is being made to offer a solution,” he stated. “Nevertheless, for us there are specific critical matters that need to be addressed.”

Parolin went on to say, “One concern is that, at the it should primarily be the UN that handles these crisis situations. This is among the issues we have emphasized.”

, the first U.S. pope, was invited to become a member of the peace board in January.

Representatives from 17 nations took part in the initial , Switzerland, in late January, including heads of state and other high-ranking officials from Latin America, Europe, the Middle East, and Central and Southeast Asia.

last week prior to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s White House meeting with Trump.

Several other by the White House, including Russia, Belarus, France, Germany, Vietnam, Finland, Ukraine, Ireland, Greece, and China.

Poland and Italy announced on Wednesday that they would not participate.

Trump stated on Sunday that board members have in aid for Gaza.

The president indicated that the funding would be officially committed during a meeting on Wednesday in

Digital’s Anders Hagstrom contributed to this report.