On Friday afternoon, Pope Francis became the first Pope to address a G7 summit.
Both before and after his speech, he held a number of one-on-one bilateral meetings with world leaders.
Before he spoke, he held a first set of meetings with:
– Kristalina Georgieva, Managing Director of the International Monetary Fund
– Volodymyr Zelenskyy, President of Ukraine
– Emmanuel Macron, President of France
– Justin Trudeau, Prime Minister of Canada
After his speech, the Pope took several hours to listen to interventions from other world leaders. He then spoke with the following individuals:
– William Samoei Ruto, President of Kenya
– Narendra Modi, Prime Minister of India
– Joseph Biden, President of the USA
– Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, President of Brazil
– Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, President of Türkiye.
G7: focus on Africa
The G7 Summit, which concludes on Saturday, focuses mainly on Africa and economic development, but also addresses the war in the Middle East and issues concerning migration.
Why was the Pope at G7?
The G7 includes Italy, currently holding the presidency, as well as the USA, Canada, Japan, the UK, France, and Germany. The outgoing European Commission President, Ursula von der Leyen, was also present.
The Holy See is not a member of the G7, but Pope Francis was invited by Italy’s Prime Minister, Giorgia Meloni.
The Pope’s address, which you can read about here, was part of an “Outreach” session, open to non-G7 members.
By Joseph Tulloch | Vaticannews
