Pope Leo XIV considers it "intolerable" that in this era of technological progress "bread should remain a privilege and water a commodity," in a message sent to the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) on the occasion of World Food Day.
The pontiff's message is dated October 12, one day before his admission to Rome's Gemelli hospital, where last Tuesday he had an adenocarcinoma, a type of lung cancer, removed.
In the text sent to the FAO, the pope states that world hunger "is not a technical or economic problem, but a profound anthropological and ethical crisis."
"Hunger cannot be considered a statistical anomaly, since it is largely due to a lack of political will and collective charity," the pontiff lamented in his message read before the participants of "World Food Day," in which he asserts "that food scarcity is not geographically inevitable either."
"In fact, it is intolerable that, in an era characterized by unprecedented technical progress, bread should remain a privilege and water a disputed commodity. Regular access to safe, adequate, sufficient food in keeping with the dignity of every person is a fundamental human right," Leo XIV opines.
And he adds that "guaranteeing this right is an obligation of justice that commits States and the international community. And without e…
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Pope Leo XIV. (Pope) EFE/EPA/ETTORE FERRARI
Pope Leo XIV considers it "intolerable" that in this era of technological progress "bread remains a privilege and water a commodity," in a message sent to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) on the occasion of World Food Day. The pontiff's message is dated October 12, one day before his admission to Rome's Gemelli hospital, where last Tuesday he had an adenocarcinoma, a type of lung cancer, removed. In the text sent to the FAO, the pope states that world hunger "is not a technical or economic problem, but a profound anthropological and ethical crisis." "Hunger cannot be considered a statistical anomaly, since it is largely due to a lack of political will and collective charity," the pontiff lamented in his message read before the participants of "World Food Day," in which he asserts "that food scarcity is not geographically inevitable either." "In fact, it is intolerable that, in an era characterized by unprecedented technical progress, bread remains a privilege and water a contested commodity. Regular access to safe, adequate, sufficient food consistent with the dignity of every person is a fundamental human right," Leo XIV opines. And he adds that "guaranteeing this right is an obligation of justice that commits States and the international community. And yet, while innovation accelerates production, distribution is neglected." A statue of Pope John Paul II at the entrance of the Agostino Gemelli Polyclinic in Rome. (AP photo/Gregorio Borgia) He also condemned the existence of "monopolies" that "suffocate small-scale agriculture." And for this reason, the pope recalls that "guaraining tomorrow's nutrition requires freeing food from purely speculative logics." "Bread is not an instrument of geopolitical pressure nor a volatile financial asset. It must never be used as a weapon of war. Preventing it from reaching everyone or destroying the means that produce it is a terrible offense against human dignity," states Robert Prevost. The pontiff also renews his call for "the resources invested in the war industry to be diverted, by an unavoidable ethical imperative, toward sustainable agricultural research and the regeneration of degraded soils." Pope Leo XIV is showing "constant improvement" on his fourth day hospitalized after his lung operation for an adenocarcinoma, and his recovery already allows him "complete autonomy," the Vatican reported this Friday. (With information from EFE)