Pope: G7 forum on missionaries an opportunity to ‘strengthen solidarity'

By Joseph Tulloch

Pope Francis has expressed his “sincere appreciation” for a G7 event in Italy focusing on the role of missionaries in promoting development in Africa.

The event is taking place on Wednesday, October 23, in Pescara, and is entitled “Education for development in Africa: The role of missions”.

It was organised as part of Italy’s presidency of the G7, as one of a series of meetings from October 22-24 focusing on development. 

In a letter sent on Wednesday to the Italian Foreign Minister, Antonio Tajani, the Pope said he hoped the meeting would “strengthen the values of solidarity and humanitarian commitment of those who have at heart the cause of the least.”

The letter – signed by Cardinal Pietro Parolin, the Holy See's Secretary of State – also encouraged participants to “persevere in promoting a culture of encounter, open to respectful dialogue, as true witnesses of the living Gospel of charity.”

Round-tables and testimonies

The event got underway at 16:30 Italian time, with the reading of the Pope’s message by Davide Dionisi, the Italian government’s envoy for religious freedom.

The Pope’s message was followed by an address from Antonio Tajani, Italian Minister of Foreign Affairs and Deputy Prime Minister, and a round table featuring a number of Italian bishops, as well as Pakistan-born professor Shahid Mobeen and Fr. Ibrahim Faltas, the Vicar of the Custody of the Holy Land.

The round table was then followed by a number of testimonies from missionary organisations which carry out educational work in Africa.

Pope Francis adresses the G7 summit in June

The Pope and the G7

The G7, or Group of Seven, is an international organisation bringing together seven of the world’s most advanced economies. Italy holds the rotating presidency of the G7 for the year 2024, and the Pope has sent messages for multiple events that have taken place over the year so far. In June, he became the first Pope to address a G7 summit. 

Wednesday's event on the role of missionaries follows one held last December at the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, at which the Holy See’s Secretary for Relations with States, Archbishop Paul Richard Gallagher, gave the opening address.