{"id":119567,"date":"2025-10-17T23:00:11","date_gmt":"2025-10-17T21:00:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.lasalle.org\/?p=119567"},"modified":"2025-10-21T10:06:11","modified_gmt":"2025-10-21T08:06:11","slug":"pope-leo-xiv-defeating-hunger-is-the-path-to-peace","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.lasalle.org\/en\/pope-leo-xiv-defeating-hunger-is-the-path-to-peace\/","title":{"rendered":"Pope Leo XIV: \u201cDefeating hunger is the path to peace\u201d"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"image_pdf\"PDF<\/span><\/a>\"image_print\"PRINT<\/span><\/a><\/div>

Pope Leo XIV visits the headquarters of the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) in Rome to mark World Food Day and the 80th anniversary of the organization\u2019s founding. In his address he reaffirms the Holy See\u2019s closeness to the institution and calls for a shared global commitment to end hunger and malnutrition.<\/p>\n

Sandwiched between the Caracalla Baths, the Aventine Hill and the Circus Maximus and the high Roman ideals they represent, the FAO headquarters in Rome is a microcosm that represents the world. Its mission to defeat hunger, food insecurity, and malnutrition in a sustainable way, upholding the dignity of every human being, resonates in a world where conflict, the climate crisis, forced migration and a widening gap between the rich and poor, cast doubt on the goodwill of the international community to place the human person above profit in the name of justice and peace.<\/p>\n

That\u2019s what Pope Leo XIV did on Thursday morning when he addressed a star-studded audience of UN and world leaders and goodwill ambassadors gathered at FAO to mark World Food Day and the organisation\u2019s 80th\u00a0anniversary.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe cannot be content with proclaiming values; we must embody them,\u201d he said, calling for a renewed ethical foundation: \u201cSlogans do not lift people from misery. We must place the human person above profit and guarantee food security, access to resources, and sustainable rural development.\u201d<\/p>\n

His visit, in the footsteps of all his predecessors starting with Pope Paul VI in 1970, provided him with the occasion to renew the Holy See\u2019s long-standing support for the UN agency and to urge the international community to redouble its efforts to eradicate hunger, malnutrition, and food insecurity \u2014 evils he described as \u201ca moral wound that afflicts the whole human family.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhoever suffers from hunger is my brother\u201d<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Choosing to speak both in Spanish and in English, the Pope said that the fight against hunger \u201cis not only a political or economic task but a profoundly human and moral duty.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhoever suffers from hunger is not a stranger,\u201d he said. \u201cHe is my brother, and I must help him without delay.\u201d<\/p>\n

He recalled that eighty years after the FAO\u2019s creation, millions of people still lack adequate food and nutrition.<\/p>\n

\u201cEnding these evils,\u201d he said, \u201crequires the contribution of all: governments, institutions, civil society, and every individual person.\u201d<\/p>\n

A collective moral failure<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Citing current data that show over 673 million people go to bed hungry and 2.3 billion lack a nutritious diet, the Pope said these are not abstract numbers but \u201cbroken lives and mothers unable to feed their children.\u201d<\/p>\n

He denounced \u201can economy without a soul\u201d and a system of resource distribution that leaves vast populations in misery, calling the persistence of hunger in an age of abundance \u201ca collective moral failure and a historical fault.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cFood must never be a weapon\u201d<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Pope Leo expressed deep concern that food is once again being used as a weapon of war, calling this a \u201ccruel strategy that denies men, women, and children their most basic right \u2014 the right to life.\u201d<\/p>\n

Recalling the UN Security Council\u2019s past condemnation of starvation as a war crime, he lamented that \u201cthis consensus seems to have faded.\u201d The silence of those dying of hunger, he said, \u201ccries out in the conscience of humanity,\u201d urging all nations to act decisively.<\/p>\n

\u201cHunger is not humanity\u2019s destiny but its downfall,\u201d the Pope said. \u201cIt is not just a problem to be solved; it is a cry that rises to heaven.\u201d<\/p>\n

An ethical vision of politics<\/strong><\/h3>\n

The Pope did not neglect to reaffirm a concept that was dear to his predecessor, Pope Francis, who never tired of pointing out that to throw food away means to throw people away.<\/p>\n

He too condemned the waste of food while others starve, and urged world leaders to end \u201coutrageous paradoxes\u201d and to \u201cawaken from the lethargy that dulls our compassion.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWater is life, water is food\u201d<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Referring to this year\u2019s World Food Day theme, the Pope said the message \u2014\u00a0\u201cWater is life, water is food. Leave no one behind\u201d\u00a0\u2014 calls all people to act together.<\/p>\n

\u201cAt a time marked by division and indifference, unity through cooperation is not just an ideal but a duty,\u201d he said. \u201cOnly by joining hands can we build a future in which food security is a right, not a privilege.\u201d<\/p>\n

He paid special tribute to women, whom he described as \u201cthe silent architects of survival, the first to sow hope and the careful stewards of creation.\u201d Recognizing their contribution, he said, is \u201cnot only a matter of justice, but a guarantee of a more humane and lasting food system.\u201d<\/p>\n

Renewing multilateral cooperation<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Pope Leo reaffirmed the importance of multilateralism and dialogue among nations, urging that the voices of the poor be heard directly. \u201cWe must build a vision that allows every actor in the international community to respond effectively to the genuine needs of those we are called to serve,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

He also made a heartfelt appeal for the many peoples suffering hunger and violence in Ukraine, Gaza, Haiti, Afghanistan, Mali, the Central African Republic, Yemen, and South Sudan, insisting that \u201cthe international community cannot look the other way.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cGive them something to eat\u201d<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Ending his address, the Holy Father quoted Jesus\u2019 words to His disciples,\u00a0\u201cGive them something to eat\u201d (Mk 6:37)<\/em>. \u00a0This Gospel command, he added, \u201cremains a pressing challenge for the international community.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cDo not tire of asking God,\u201d he concluded, \u201cfor the courage and the energy to work for a justice that will yield lasting and beneficial results. You can always count on the solidarity of the Holy See and of the entire Church, which stands ready to serve the poorest and most disadvantaged throughout the world.\u201d<\/p>\n

* Article published in Vatican News. By: Linda Bordoni. Photo: Vatican Media.<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"","protected":false},"author":12,"featured_media":119579,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_tec_requires_first_save":true,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"_EventAllDay":false,"_EventTimezone":"","_EventStartDate":"","_EventEndDate":"","_EventStartDateUTC":"","_EventEndDateUTC":"","_EventShowMap":false,"_EventShowMapLink":false,"_EventURL":"","_EventCost":"","_EventCostDescription":"","_EventCurrencySymbol":"","_EventCurrencyCode":"","_EventCurrencyPosition":"","_EventDateTimeSeparator":"","_EventTimeRangeSeparator":"","_EventOrganizerID":[],"_EventVenueID":[],"_OrganizerEmail":"","_OrganizerPhone":"","_OrganizerWebsite":"","_VenueAddress":"","_VenueCity":"","_VenueCountry":"","_VenueProvince":"","_VenueState":"","_VenueZip":"","_VenuePhone":"","_VenueURL":"","_VenueStateProvince":"","_VenueLat":"","_VenueLng":"","_VenueShowMap":false,"_VenueShowMapLink":false,"_tribe_blocks_recurrence_rules":"","_tribe_blocks_recurrence_description":"","_tribe_blocks_recurrence_exclusions":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[3386,3367],"tags":[3751],"class_list":["post-119567","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-holy-see","category-news","tag-pope-leo-xiv"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lasalle.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/119567","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lasalle.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lasalle.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lasalle.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/12"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lasalle.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=119567"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.lasalle.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/119567\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":119619,"href":"https:\/\/www.lasalle.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/119567\/revisions\/119619"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lasalle.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/119579"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lasalle.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=119567"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lasalle.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=119567"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lasalle.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=119567"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}