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“There is an urgent need to address hunger, malnutrition and the factors that drive them,” Pope Leo XIV said during a visit to the headquarters of the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) in Rome on Monday 22 June.
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The pontiff thanked the international organisation for its work, highlighting its commitment to “saving lives in emergencies and providing assistance in times of conflict and natural disasters”. Addressing WFP staff, he said their work is “deeply in tune with the mission of the Catholic Church”, which seeks to “defend human dignity and promote fraternity”.
“Distorted ideologies and incomprehensible political decisions”
In his address, Pope Leo XIV went on to stress that aid programmes and development initiatives are often hindered by “complex and difficult-to-understand political decisions” as well as “distorted ideologies”. He said these create numerous barriers to tackling hunger and poverty, while no such obstacles seem to exist when it comes to the flow of arms.
As a result, the pontiff argued that, in today’s world, it is easier to “feed” conflicts than people. He said this reflects not merely an operational failure, but a deeper “imbalance in political and moral priorities”.
“Today, crises are multiplying: from conflict to hunger, from economic instability to climate change”
The pope warned that hunger is not only a humanitarian issue but also a threat to stability. It can “erode social cohesion, increase the risk of conflict and fuel forced migration”, he said.
All of this, the pope said, “undermines the ability of states and societies to build resilient institutions, ensure effective education and promote sustainable economic development”. In this context, he argued that humanitarian assistance is also a pillar of international stability.
‘Food, water and health must not be subordinated to markets’
Leo XIV went on to warn that many of today’s crises have evolved from isolated events into persistent challenges, citing “protracted conflicts”, “chronic food insecurity”, “economic instability” and “growing climate vulnerabilities”.
He reiterated the need to “resist the commodification of basic human needs”.
“Food, water and health care cannot be subordinated to markets or geopolitical interests,” the pope said.
At the end of his address, those in attendance gave the pontiff a long round of applause.
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