Pope Francis will also be there at the next G7 in Puglia, scheduled for 13 to 15 June in the town of Borgo Egnazia, in the province of Brindisi. The official announcement came yesterday from the Prime Minister, Giorgia Meloni who, through a video message published on her social channels, informed of the presence of the Holy Father at the summit of the great world powers, the first time ever for a Pontiff. The news was also confirmed by the Vatican press office, which announced that Pope Bergoglio will be personally present at the Apulian event.
The Holy Father will take part, in particular, in the session dedicated to artificial intelligence. His presence is in fact linked to the research activities that the Vatican has been carrying out in this field for some time.
The Italian presidency of the G7 – the prime minister announced – intends to enhance the path promoted by the Holy See on Artificial Intelligence with the “Rome Call for AI Ethics” and bring it to the attention of the other leaders at the summit. The pontiff will be present at the “outreach” session, i.e. the one open not only to the 7 great powers but also to the invited countries. “His presence – underlined Giorgia Meloni – will make a decisive contribution to the definition of a regulatory, ethical and cultural framework for artificial intelligence”.
June will not be Pope Francis’ first trip to Apulia. Visit number one dates back to March 2018, in San Giovanni Rotondo, in front of the tomb of San Pio, in the sanctuary of Santa Maria delle Grazie. The following month he came to Puglia to pay homage to the figure of Don Tonino Bello, stopping first in Alessano, in the Leccese area, the birthplace of the venerable bishop, and then in Molfetta, where he exercised his episcopal mandate. And then again in July 2018 he was in Bari to take part in a meeting with the Patriarchs of the Middle East: a historic event that attracted thousands of faithful to the capital.
Pope Francis’ last visit to Puglia dates back to February 2020, shortly before the Covid-19 emergency, when the Holy Father was still in Bari on the occasion of “Mediterranean, frontier of peace”, a meeting with the bishops of the countries bordering the “mare nostrum”, to send a message against wars and inequalities.
