POPE LEO DENOUNCES THE USE OF HUNGER AS A 'WEAPON OF WAR'

Pope Leo XIV deplored the use of hunger as a “weapon of war” in his message to the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), which is currently holding its 44th conference session in Rome from June 28 to July 4 2025.
The Holy Father said the U.N. is far from reaching its 2030 goal of “zero hunger” in spite of “significant steps” taken by the intergovernmental organization to ensure food security, particularly for the world’s poor.
“We are currently witnessing with despair the iniquitous use of hunger as a weapon of war,” Leo said in his message to FAO. “Starving people to death is a very cheap way of waging war.” The pope criticized the actions of armed civilians who “greedily hoard” food, burn land, steal livestock, and block humanitarian aid to those suffering and in need.
“Farmers are unable to sell their produce in environments threatened by violence, and inflation soars,” he said. “This leads to huge numbers of people succumbing to the scourge of starvation and perishing.”
“While civilians languish in misery, political leaders grow fat on the profits of the conflict,” he remarked.