The pontiff brought his moral authority to bear on the Group of Seven, invited by host Italy to address a special session on the perils and promises of AI.
Category
🗞
NewsTranscript
00:00It's a historic first and never before has any pontiff taken the floor in the history
00:06of the G7 summit. Pope Francis was the star guest on Friday. Italy's Prime Minister Giorgia
00:11Meloni is the first to have managed to have him as one of the main attendees. Not one
00:16but ten bilaterals were on the agenda for the 87-year-old pontiff, including a meeting
00:21with Ukrainian President Zelensky. The Pope's speech centred on the use of AI. Despite bringing
00:26positive change, the pontiff said that technology can be harmful.
00:56Alongside the Pope, the presence of guest leaders this time hit record levels. Representatives
01:10of the Global South, such as India, Brazil and Tunisia to mention a few, strengthened
01:14the summit's inclusive approach and called to action when tackling issues such as the
01:19climate crisis and migration. Discussions about Africa were at the top of the agenda
01:23on both days. Meloni pushed for broader consensus on Italy's Mate Plan for Africa, which has
01:29been welcomed in the G7 final declaration, giving Italy a key role in the relations between
01:34the EU and the continent.
01:50During Friday's bilateral between Meloni and US President Joe Biden, the two touched
01:55on the summit's efforts to stand by Ukraine, which resulted in a deal on the use of profits
02:00from frozen Russian assets and a security agreement signed by both Biden and Zelensky.
02:05Meloni also backed Biden's proposed ceasefire deal to end hostilities in Gaza.
02:10The G7 final declaration adopted on Friday also includes a statement about the climate
02:15crisis and China, with a group of seven leaders said to be concerned about the country's
02:20unfair business practices. And among other agreements that have been reached at the summit,
02:26leaders will launch a coalition designed to counter migrant smuggling. But more details
02:33about the summit and the final declaration will emerge during Meloni's final presser
02:39scheduled for Saturday.
02:41Giorgia Orlandi for Euronews in Bari.