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Pope Francis says hunger is caused by “the indifference of many and the selfishness of a few”.
Saying much can be done to help change this, Francis sent a message on Monday to participants in the 40th General Conference of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations who were meeting in Rome.
He apologised for his inability to be with them.
Cardinal Pietro Parolin went to the conference on Francis’s behalf and read his message for him.
He said the Holy See closely follows the work of the international community and wants to help promote ways to eliminate hunger and malnutrition rather than merely progress or develop goals in theory.
He went on to say the international community should acknowledge hunger and malnutrition are not “natural or structural phenomena.
“We are dealing with a complex mechanism that mainly burdens the most vulnerable, who are not only excluded from the processes of production, but frequently obliged to leave their lands in search of refuge and hope.”
He also said intergovernmental organisations like those that work with the United Nations need to be able to intervene specifically and undertake an adequate solidarity action when “a country is incapable of offering adequate responses because its degree of development, conditions of poverty, climate changes or situations of insecurity.
“The reason hunger and malnutrition still exist is because of a “lack of a culture of solidarity,” and countries are not doing enough to tackle the issue.”
Francis’s message warned the international community against “being bound only to the pragmatism of statistics or the desire for efficiency that lacks the idea of sharing.”
He said solidarity needs to be the criterion behind the different forms of cooperation in international relations, since the goods entrusted to us by God are meant for everyone.
Source
- Vatican Radio
- Crux
- Image: Philstar.com
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News category: World.
