Pope Leo XIV has warned of the increasing use around the world of “the iniquitous use of hunger as a weapon of war”, while decrying the "despair" that accompanies it.
The pontiff’s comments came in a message sent at the start of the week to participants in the annual conference of the United Nations' Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) taking place in Rome.
In his message, Pope Leo said that starving people to death “is a very cheap way of waging war”.
He explained: “That is why today, when most conflicts are not fought by regular armies but by groups of armed civilians with few resources, burning land and stealing livestock [and] blocking aid are tactics increasingly used by those who seek to control entire unarmed populations.
“Thus, in this type of conflict, the first military targets become water supply networks and communication routes.
"Farmers are unable to sell their produce in environments threatened by violence and inflation soars.
“This leads to huge numbers of people succumbing to the scourge of starvation and perishing, with the aggravating circumstance that, while civilians languish in misery, political leaders grow fat on the profits of the conflict.”
Pope Leo noted that the world is currently witnessing a huge polarisation in international relations due to existing crises and confrontations.
“Financial resources and innovative technologies are being diverted from the eradication of poverty and hunger in the world to the manufacture and trade of weapons," the Pope said. "In this way, questionable ideologies are promoted while human relations cool, debasing communion and stifling fraternity and social friendship.
“Never before has it been more urgent than it is now for us to become peacemakers working for the common good, for what is good for all and not just for the few, who are always the same.
Leo told the UN agency: "To ensure peace and development, understood as the improvement of the living conditions of populations suffering from hunger, war and poverty, concrete actions are needed, rooted in serious and far-sighted approaches."
The Pope said the Catholic Church encourages all initiatives to put an end to the “outrage of hunger” in the world, noting that global food security continues to deteriorate, making it increasingly unlikely that the United Nations' “Zero Hunger” goal will be achieved.
This target was declared in 2015 by the UN. However, the UN has noted that by 2022, approximately 735 million people – 9.2 per cent of the world’s population – found themselves in a state of chronic hunger, a huge rise compared to 2019. In addition, the UN reported an estimated 2.4 billion people faced moderate to severe food insecurity in 2022.
“It will not help to postpone a solution to this devastating situation; on the contrary, the anguish and hardship of the needy will continue to grow, making the road even harder and more convoluted,” Pope Leo told the FAO.
“It is therefore imperative to move from words to deeds, putting at the centre effective measures that will enable these people to look at their present and their future with confidence and serenity, and not just with resignation, thus putting an end to the era of slogans and misleading promises.
“Political crises, armed conflicts and economic turbulence play a central role in the worsening of the food crisis, hindering humanitarian aid and compromising local agricultural production, thus negating not only access to food, but also the right to lead a life of dignity and opportunity.”
Pope Leo added that it would be “a fatal error” not to heal the wounds and fractures caused by years of selfishness and superficiality.
“Likewise, without peace and stability, it will not be possible to guarantee resilient agricultural and food systems, nor to ensure a healthy, accessible and sustainable food supply for all. Hence the need for dialogue, where the parties involved are not only willing to talk to each other, but also to listen to each other, to understand each other and to act together."
The Pope cautioned that "there will be no shortage of obstacles, but with a sense of humanity and fraternity, the results can only be positive".
He concluded: “In this respect, we must not forget that sooner or later we will have to give an explanation to future generations, who will receive a legacy of injustices and inequalities if we do not act wisely now."
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