Pope Leo: Defeating Hunger is the Path to Peace

Vatican, October 17, 2025: Pope Leo addressed a distinguished gathering at the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) headquarters in Rome on Thursday, marking World Food Day and the organisation’s 80th anniversary. He reaffirmed the Holy See’s support for the UN agency and called for a global commitment to end hunger and malnutrition.

Speaking to UN leaders, goodwill ambassadors, and world dignitaries, Pope Leo declared, “We cannot be content with proclaiming values; we must embody them.” He urged a renewed ethical approach, stating, “Slogans 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.”

Highlighting the moral imperative, he said, “Whoever suffers from hunger is not a stranger. He is my brother, and I must help him without delay.” With over 673 million people going to bed hungry and 2.3 billion lacking nutritious diets, he described these as “broken lives and mothers unable to nourish their children,” lamenting the fading international consensus against starvation as a war crime.

The Pope condemned food waste, echoing Pope Francis’s view that it equates to discarding people, and called for ending “outrageous paradoxes” that dull compassion. On this year’s theme, “Water is life, water is food. Leave no one behind,” he stressed, “At a time marked by division and indifference, unity through cooperation is not just an ideal but a duty.”

He paid tribute to women as “the silent architects of survival, the first to sow hope and the careful stewards of creation,” advocating for their recognition as essential to a humane food system. Pope Leo also urged multilateral cooperation, ensuring the voices of the poor are heard, and appealed for action in hunger-stricken regions like Ukraine, Gaza and South Sudan.

Concluding with Jesus’ words, “Give them something to eat”, he challenged the international community, saying, “Hunger is not humanity’s destiny but its downfall.” He offered the Church’s solidarity, praying for courage to pursue lasting justice.

Image and Source Credits : Vatican News

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