In a powerful address during the World Food Day global ceremony at the U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization’s headquarters in Rome, Pope Leo XIV urged world leaders to take responsibility for addressing the escalating crises of hunger, war, and suffering worldwide. The event also commemorated the 80th anniversary of the FAO. The pontiff emphasized the need for the international community to confront global food emergencies head-on, rather than turning a blind eye. He specifically highlighted the ongoing conflicts in Ukraine, Gaza, Haiti, Afghanistan, Mali, the Central African Republic, Yemen, and South Sudan, underscoring the dire consequences of inaction. Citing U.N. statistics, Pope Leo revealed that approximately 673 million people globally suffer from insufficient daily food intake. He challenged the global community to reevaluate their lifestyles and priorities, stating, ‘The hungry faces of so many who still suffer challenge us and invite us to reexamine our lifestyles, our priorities, and our overall way of living in today’s world.’ The pope concluded his speech by urging collective empathy, declaring, ‘We must make their suffering our own.’ Pope Leo also condemned the use of hunger as a weapon of war, labeling it a ‘collective failure, an ethical derailment, and a historic offence.’ His warning comes as U.N. food aid agencies face significant funding cuts, particularly from the U.S. and other Western donors, threatening operations in critical regions and potentially pushing millions into emergency hunger levels. The World Food Program reported that 13.7 million recipients of its aid could face severe food insecurity due to these cuts, with Afghanistan, Congo, Haiti, Somalia, South Sudan, and Sudan at the greatest risk.
Pope Leo urges world leaders ‘not to look the other way’ in fighting global hunger
