The Holy See "will not participate in U.S. President Donald Trump's Board of Peace because the Vatican says that it should be the United Nations that handles crisis situations.

"One concern," the Vatican's Secretary of State Cardinal Pietro Parolin explained, "is that at the international level it should above all be the UN that manages these crisis situations.

"This is one of the points on which we have insisted," Vatican News reported on Feb. 17.

He was responding to journalists' questions about Italy's participation as an observer in the Board of Peace,

Cardinal Parolin pointed out that "there are points that leave us somewhat perplexed. There are some critical points that would need to find explanations."

Parolin's comments came after attending an event with the Italian government to mark the anniversary of the Lateran Pacts, which created the Vatican City as a sovereign state nearly a century ago, according to CNN.

While Italy and the European Union have said they plan to attend the board as observers, the cardinal said the Vatican would not "participate in the Board of Peace because of its particular nature, which is evidently not that of other States."

The White House called the Vatican decision "deeply unfortunate."

"I don't think that peace should be partisan or political or controversial. And of course, the administration wants all those who were invited to join the board of peace to join," White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said on Feb.18.

"This is a legitimate organization where there are tens of member countries from around the world, and we think that's an unfortunate decision," she asserted.

The Vatican is not the only state to have declined invitations. Britain, France and Norway are not signing up.

Diplomats, officials and world leaders have expressed concerns over the expanded remit of the board, Trump's indefinite chairmanship and the potential damage it could cause to the UN's work, according to CNN.