At the conclusion of the G7 in Savelletri, Secretary-General Michele Capasso visited the Shrine of Jaddico, dedicated to "Mary Mother of the Church". With the priests, he retraced the steps of the sacred place.
Almost sixty years after its construction, the Shrine today acquires a new value, a renewed sense of faith. Built in 1965 by Brindisi city policeman Teodoro D'Amici, the shrine has always been a place of extraordinary manifestations of the Virgin Mary, particularly around an ancient crusader wall with an image of the Madonna, which was then blessed. The archbishop at the time, Monsignor Nicola Margiotta, who was in Rome for the closing of the Second Vatican Ecumenical Council, delegated the vicar general Monsignor Armando Franco to preside over the rite, which was attended by an immense crowd. It was the first church in the world dedicated to "Mary Mother of the Church".
In recent decades, the Shrine of Jaddico has increasingly become a place of peace and spiritual refreshment for the many who stop by the church every day to pray - as it is open day and night - arriving from everywhere.

It has certainly changed the history of the G7, the presence of Pope Francis in Fasano di Puglia, but perhaps also that of the pontificate: the first non-European Pope in the assembly of the so-called Greats of the Western world. And at the moment of greatest crisis, with two wars - among the many - of global scope underway, both at the centre of an incessant preaching of peace accompanied by the most intense diplomatic action implemented by the Holy See in recent times.
"It is my birthday," said the Secretary-General of the United States of the World, Michele Capasso, who was present in Puglia, "just as Chancellor Sholtz and the American flag (born in 1777) are celebrating today: the presence of Pope Francis is the most beautiful gift.
For Pope Francis's G7 no chair was prepared, but only a chair at the common working table, and on an assigned topic, Artificial Intelligence, important and perhaps decisive for the future, but still of a limited nature.
It was therefore not a usual condition, but Francis went further, to the point of transforming the event into a symbolic turning point: the pope not seated on any podium, but seated side by side with the "powerful", ready to pay their due homage, even to the point of standing in line for an audience lasting only a few minutes. A manner not taken for granted by the rulers of a time that, although deeply marked by secularisation, continues to express the need for confrontation, if not guidance, on the essential questions not only of politics but of life as a whole.

On the occasion of SG Michele Capasso ‘s 70th birthday, a group of friends gathered for congratulations and to renew esteem and affection.

The G7 Summit was held in the town of Fasano in Apulia from 13 to 15 June 2024. The event was attended by the Heads of State and Government of the seven Member States, in addition to the President of the European Council and the President of the European Commission representing the European Union.
As is tradition, representatives of some States and international organisations invited by the country holding the presidency also took part in the work.
The President of the Fondazione Mediterraneo and Secretary-General of the United States of the World Prof. Michele Capasso participated as an observer, as has been the case since the beginning of the Summits, producing a "Chronicle of the G/" published in various countries.
For the first time, this G/ Summit was attended by a Pontiff: Pope Francesco.