PRESS RELEASE

Open letter to Cardinal Pietro Parolin on the so-called ‘Board of Peace’

Rome, 27 January 2026 — The network ‘Priests Against Genocide’ today publishes an open letter addressed to His Eminence Cardinal Pietro Parolin, Secretary of State of His Holiness, in which it asks the Holy See to refrain from accepting the proposal to join the so-called ‘Board of Peace’.

The letter is the result of pastoral and spiritual discernment matured through listening to the pain of the victims, closeness to the affected communities, and the conviction that the word ‘peace’ must remain inseparable from truth, justice, and human dignity.

In the text, the network expresses its concern that a body presented as a platform for peace could, in reality, be perceived as an exclusive framework and as an instrument that does not guarantee the full voice of those directly concerned. The network also recalls the importance of not weakening the recognised forums of international law and of safeguarding the prophetic freedom of the Church, so that it remains credible in the eyes of those who suffer.

‘The reconstruction of Gaza,’ the letter reads, ‘cannot become a “business deal”: it is human and moral reparation. The Church, out of fidelity to the Gospel, is called to stand with the little ones, to promote transparent and inclusive processes, and not to allow itself to be associated with the logic of power or interest.’

The network ‘Priests Against Genocide’ emphasises that the letter is not intended to take on a ‘political’ tone, but rather proposes a diplomatic and religious appeal, animated by a spirit of ecclesial and synodal communion. ‘We ask,’ says the network, ‘that the Holy See continue to be a free moral voice, promoting the protection of civilians, humanitarian access, genuine listening to the peoples involved, and paths of justice capable of generating authentic reconciliation.’

The press release accompanying the publication of the letter includes an invitation to prayer and discernment, so that the Holy See’s choices may always be recognisable as evangelical paths: a peace that does not exclude, humiliate or forget the victims.

The full open letter is available on request.

Press contacts
Fr Pietro Rossini, spokesperson for the network ‘Priests Against Genocide’ e-mail: prossini@duck.com