Pope’s Day at the G7 in Borgo Egnazia in Puglia continues according to its intense program. The first four bilateral meetings have already taken place (out of a total of 10). Francis, the first Pontiff ever to participate in this type of summit, saw Kristalina Georgieva, director general of the International Monetary Fund, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, French President Emanuel Macron and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. The Pope landed at 12.10, welcomed by Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni. Smiles and handshakes. Friendly and serene atmosphere. “It’s a great pleasure, a great gift to have him,” Meloni said, smiling. “What a beautiful laugh”, replied the Pontiff, fresh from the meeting with the G7 of humour, comedians from 15 countries. After the greeting and handshake, the Pope and Meloni boarded a golf car to reach the summit venue. The Pope descended from the helicopter via a small ladder and got into a golf cart alongside the Italian Prime Minister, who received another joke from the Pope with a frank laugh, probably about the fact that he had to make a certain effort to settle into the seat. Francesco left and arrived a little earlier than announced the day before. In fact, he took off from the Vatican heliport shortly after 10.30 am. Now there is anticipation for his speech, as well as for the remaining bilateral speeches which show how much Pope Bergoglio is sought after by heads of state and government in search of guidance on the world’s burdensome problems. The search for peace, first and foremost, but also artificial intelligence with its shadows and the fight against poverty.
Other bilateral meetings will follow. In order William Samoei Ruto, President of Kenya; Narendra Modi, Prime Minister of India; Joseph Biden, President of the United States; Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, Brazil; Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, Türkiye and Abdelmadjid Tebboune, Algeria. Take-off is scheduled for 7.45pm from the Borgo Egnazia sports field. Landing at the Vatican heliport is scheduled for 9.15pm.
The Pope received by Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni – ANSA
The Pope will speak about artificial intelligence. He recently asked the Community of Nations to «adopt a binding international treaty, which regulates the development and use of artificial intelligence in its many forms. The objective of regulation, of course, should not only be the prevention of bad practices, but also the encouragement of good practices, stimulating new and creative approaches and facilitating personal and collective initiatives.”
Francis has repeatedly highlighted the potential, but also the risks of AI. Risks for democracy, for peace, for correct information. And he asked for an ethical regulation. It all depends on us, he warned. That is, “it is up to man to decide whether to become food for algorithms or to nourish his heart with freedom, without which one cannot grow in wisdom.” Concepts that could also be reiterated in the presence of the world’s greats.
