The heads of the Catholic bishops’ conferences for every country in the Group of Seven (G7) are encouraging government leaders to prioritize the dignity of the human person, global peace initiatives, and environmental issues in the upcoming summit.
Leaders from the seven global powers — the United States, Canada, France, Germany, Great Britain, Italy, and Japan — will meet for the annual G7 summit in Evian-les-Bains, France, from June 15–17. G7 summits focus on issues of international cooperation among the powers.
On June 12, ahead of next week’s meeting, the heads of the bishops’ conferences from each power issued a joint statement outlining their priorities. It touches on ongoing conflicts, such as the Russia-Ukraine war and wars in the Middle East, and emerging technology such as artificial intelligence (AI).
“Amid armed conflict, geopolitical fragmentation, the crisis of multilateralism, growing inequalities, climate disruption, and accelerating technological change, we affirm that the dignity of the human person must remain the foundation of political and economic governance,” the bishops wrote to the political leaders.
Peace efforts
The bishops encouraged the nations to cooperate with one another on peace efforts and adhere to international laws, warning that geopolitical tensions are causing international order to erode and stating that international institutions like the G7 are “indispensable for preventing conflicts.”
Some concerns listed by the bishops are the protecting of civilians and promoting justice among people. The document urges G7 powers to “strengthen these institutions so that they might better serve the global common good.” The bishops also emphasized safeguarding religious freedom and protecting religious minorities, families, prisoners of war, and the displaced.
“Churches and religious communities can help rebuild trust, accompany those wounded by war, and create the social and moral conditions for lasting peace,” the bishops wrote. “Through its local presence, humanitarian commitment, and capacity to build bridges among peoples, the Catholic Church remains a credible partner for peace and dialogue.”
Development and technology
The bishops encouraged G7 countries to work in solidarity with the Global South and took issue with reductions in development assistance for developing countries.
“As humanitarian needs grow across the world, millions of people are seeing their access to food, healthcare, education, and protection eroded,” they wrote. “We call upon G7 states to renew their commitment to international solidarity and to an equitable partnership with countries of the Global South. Development policies must focus above all on poverty reduction, food security, access to education and healthcare, and the protection of the most vulnerable.”
The bishops added that industrialized countries should ensure economic partnerships with other nations are grounded in equity, the rights of local populations, decent working conditions, and environmental protections.
With respect to AI, the bishops recommended global rules that ensure the innovation serves the human person and the common good, and referenced Pope Leo XIV’s guidance on the subject in his encyclical Magnifica Humanitas, in which the Holy Father called to “disarm AI.”
“To disarm means discrediting the assumption that technical power automatically confers the right to govern,” Leo wrote, which was quoted in the bishops’ letter to the G7 leaders.
“To disarm does not mean rejecting technology but preventing it from dominating humanity,” the pope added. “It means freeing technology from monopolistic control and opening it to discussion and debate, therefore making it human-friendly and restoring it to the plurality of human cultures and ways of life. … Merely regulating it is insufficient; it must be disarmed, welcoming, and accessible.”
The bishops wrote that AI “must remain under human control and be governed by clear ethical principles.” They said it must be directed toward the common good, justice, transparency, and inclusion. They added that it “must never lead to the dehumanization of social relations or to the automation of decisions that affect human life.”
Shared responsibilities
The bishops wrote that G7 powers should assume a shared responsibility toward creation and displaced people.
This includes environmental concerns, such as climate change. The bishops urged joint efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emission and expand renewable energy. Such protection, they said, “is not only an environmental necessity but also a requirement of justice.”
“The most industrialized countries bear a special responsibility in view of their level of resource consumption and their historical contribution to global warming,” they wrote.
Additionally, the bishops emphasized the shared responsibility for migrants and refugees, who “must always be received with dignity, while recognizing the legitimate responsibility of states to safeguard the common good.”
“Those forced to flee war, persecution, poverty, or climate disasters cannot be regarded as a threat,” they wrote. “They are our brothers and sisters in humanity.”
The bishops noted that G7 countries bear “a particular responsibility for the global common good.”
“The decisions taken by member states have direct consequences for peoples, for international stability, and for the future of younger generations,” the bishops wrote.
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