It was the harshest speech the pope has delivered to date. He denounced the hunger affecting more than 600 million people around the world.
POPE LEO XIV
This is no coincidence, but rather the clear sign of prevailing indifference, of a soulless economy, of a questionable model of development, and of an unfair and unsustainable system of resource distribution.
It is a collective failure, an ethical deviation, a historical guilt.
He also publicly condemned the abuses committed in wars against civilian populations, although he did not name those responsible.
POPE LEO XIV
The current conflict zones have seen the reemergence of food being used as a weapon of war.
Pope Leo also called for a change in political attitude at the international level—a shift to avoid polarization.
POPE LEO XIV
Let me emphasize unequivocally the importance of multilateralism in the face of harmful temptations that tend to assert themselves as autocratic in a multipolar and increasingly interconnected world. It is, therefore, more necessary than ever to boldly rethink the ways of international cooperation.
Pope Leo XIV delivered most of the speech in Spanish, but ended his address in English, mentioning several places in the world suffering from hunger, including Gaza.
His visit to the FAO headquarters was on the occasion of the institution’s 80th anniversary; it is one of the UN’s agencies responsible for food-related issues.
JRB
