Vatican City, Dec 4, 2003 / 22:00 pm
Addressing participants at the 32nd Conference of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO,) Pope John Paul said that the world cannot be deaf to the plight of the hungry.
Speaking to the participants at the FAO summit, which is taking place in Rome from November 29 to December 10, the Pontiff expressed the “appreciation of the Catholic Church for the important service which FAO renders to humanity” and emphasized that “today this service is more urgently needed than ever.”
“Hunger and malnutrition,” he added, “aggravated by growing poverty, represent a grave threat to the peaceful coexistence of peoples and nations. By its efforts to combat the nutritional insecurity which affects vast areas of our world, FAO makes a significant contribution to the advancement of world peace.”
The Pope said also that “given this close relationship between hunger and peace, it is clear that economic and political decisions and strategies must increasingly be guided by a commitment to global solidarity and respect for fundamental human rights, including the right to adequate nourishment.”
“Human dignity itself is compromised wherever a narrow pragmatism detached from the objective demands of the moral law leads to decisions which benefit a fortunate few while ignoring the sufferings of large segments of the human family,” he said.