G7, it’s the day of Pope francesco. From Biden to Zelensky, via Macron, there will be around ten Heads of State and personalities with whom the Pontiff will have bilateral meetings today on the sidelines of the summit in Borgo Egnazia, Puglia.
Pope Francis’ agenda in Puglia
The Pontiff will take off from the Vatican heliport at 11. Landing in Borgo Egnazia is scheduled for 12.30: the Pope will be welcomed on the sports field by the Prime Minister, Giorgia Meloni. Then Francesco will move by golf car to the reserved residence where the first bilateral meetings are scheduled. In detail, the Pope will meet Kristalina Georgeva, director general of the Global International Fund; then Zelensky, President of Ukraine; Emmanuel Macron, French President; Justin Trudeau, Canadian Prime Minister. At the end, around 2.05pm, Meloni will officially welcome the Pope in the court of Borgo Egnazia followed by the official photo. At 2.15 pm the Pope will participate in the joint session and will deliver his speech on artificial intelligence which will be followed by other speeches.
After 5.30pm there will be a second round of bilateral meetings between the Pope and other Heads of State: Bergoglio will have a face-to-face meeting with the President of Kenya, William Samoel Ruto; with Narendra Modi, Prime Minister of India. So he will see US President Joe Biden; later Lula da Silva, president of Brazil; Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Turkish President; and Algerian President Tebboune. The Pontiff will then return to the Vatican (landing at the heliport expected around 9.15pm).
The first time of a Pontiff at the G7
It is the first time in history that a pontiff will participate in the work of the Group of Seven, and the Pope will speak in the outreach session, the one also open to invited countries, not just to the members of the G7. The Pontiff will speak around 2.15pm: Bergoglio has already dedicated two messages to the topic of AI, on the occasion of World Communications Day and in the message for peace. In particular, Francis in his messages focused on the ethical implications regarding the interconnection between new technologies and the armaments sector: “The possibility of conducting military operations through remote control systems has led to a lower perception of the devastation caused by them caused and the responsibility for their use, contributing to an even colder and more detached approach to the immense tragedy of war”.
New technologies and artificial intelligence, the Pope highlighted, must be used to “promote integral human development to introduce important innovations in agriculture, education and culture to improve the standard of living of entire nations and peoples. The way in which we use it to include the least, that is, the weakest and most needy brothers and sisters, is the revealing measure of our humanity.” L’Osservatore Romano, in a front-page analysis, highlighted how “the Pontiff” does not escape “the danger of some applications of Artificial Intelligence, which often remain in the background. There is the problem of its fields of application , which – as in many other scientific and technological innovations that preceded it – seem to give precedence to the military area”.
The Bishops of Puglia also addressed the powerful people of the world in an open letter: “To you, who are responsible for the lives of many, we ask with heartfelt strength the courage not to retreat in the face of the challenges of the moment which they see in peace and sustainable growth the essential coordinates of a paradigm shift, which we all feel the need for.” In the letter, the Bishops remind the powerful of the Earth that “the problems of our people are the struggles of humanity. Our young people miss the future that we adults have stolen from them. Have the good of everyone at heart, knowing how to cross the boundaries of present and partisan interests. There is a need for hope, be bold, open doors to social justice, to real and effective protection of creation, to the protection of humanity, knowing how to guarantee universal access to essential services for all. a life that is dignified for everyone.”
