Archbishop Richard Moth, President of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of England and Wales, has joined fellow presidents of the Bishops’ Conferences of the G7 states to make a series of calls on the leaders who will gather for the 52nd G7 Summit in Évian-les-Bains, Haute-Savoie, France. The meeting will be held from 15–17 June 2026.
In a joint statement titled Building Bridges for Peace, Justice and Human Dignity, the presidents of the episcopal conferences offer the Catholic Church’s “capacity for dialogue, mediation, and accompaniment for the most vulnerable at the service of peace and the international community.”
The appeal they make in the statement covers areas such as the need to respect international law, uphold the dignity of the person, lead in the pursuit of peace and reconciliation through dialogue, negotiation and mutual respect, and to collaborate in the fight against organised crime, human trafficking, illicit trade, corruption, and unlawful financial actions. They also encourage G7 states to promote education that facilitates dialogue and respect for religious and cultural differences.
After the recent publication of Pope Leo’s first encyclical letter, Magnifica humanitas on preserving the human person in the age of artificial intelligence, the episcopal conference presidents call for the G7 leaders and technology companies to establish clear international rules so that new technologies serve the human person and the common good – particularly to protect children.
Finally, the presidents of the Catholic Bishops’ Conferences of Canada, France, Germany, Great Britain, Italy, Japan, and the United States conclude by turning their attention to migrants and refugees and environmental concerns. They call upon G7 states to commit to “bold and verifiable measures to accelerate a just ecological transition, reduce greenhouse gas emissions, expand renewable energy and support the most vulnerable countries in facing the consequences of climate change,” and to “recall that migrants and refugees must always be received with dignity, while recognising 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 are our brothers and sisters in humanity.”
You can read or download a PDF of the joint statement here.
