Acta Apostolicae Sedis - Commentarium Officiale632

NUNTIUS

Ad Davidem Cameron Praesidem Regni Uniti Britanniae.

I am pleased to reply to your kind letter of 5 June 2013, with which you

were good enough to inform me of your Government's agenda for the British

G8 Presidency during the year 2013 and of the forthcoming Summit, due to

take place at Lough Erne on 17 and 18 June 2013, entitled A G8 meeting that

goes back to first principles.

If this topic is to attain its broadest and deepest resonance, it is necessary

to ensure that all political and economic activity, whether national or inter-

national, makes reference to man. Indeed, such activity must, on the one

hand, enable the maximum expression of freedom and creativity, both

individual and collective, while on the other hand it must promote and

guarantee their responsible exercise in solidarity, with particular attention

to the poorest.

The priorities that the British Presidency has set out for the Lough Erne

Summit are concerned above all with the free international market, taxation,

and transparency on the part of governments and economic actors. Yet the

fundamental reference to man is by no means lacking, specifically in the

proposal for concerted action by the Group to eliminate definitively the

scourge of hunger and to ensure food security. Similarly, a further sign of

attention to the human person is the inclusion as one of the central themes on

the agenda of the protection of women and children from sexual violence in

conflict situations, even though it must be remembered that the indispensa-

ble context for the development of all the afore-mentioned political actions is

that of international peace. Sadly, concern over serious international crises is

a recurring theme in the deliberations of the G8, and this year it cannot fail to

address the situation in the Middle East, especially in Syria. In this regard, I

earnestly hope that the Summit will help to obtain an immediate and lasting

cease-fire and to bring all parties in the conflict to the negotiating table.

Peace demands a far-sighted renunciation of certain claims, in order to build

together a more equitable and just peace. Moreover, peace is an essential pre-

requisite for the protection of women, children and other innocent victims,

and for making a start towards conquering hunger, especially among the

victims of war.