The Church encourages all initiatives to put an end to the outrage of hunger in the world, making her own the sentiments of her Lord, Jesus, who, as the Gospels narrate, when he saw a great multitude coming to him to hear his word, was concerned first of all to feed them, and for this purpose asked the disciples to take charge of the problem, abundantly blessing the efforts they made. However, when we read the account of what is commonly called the “multiplication of the loaves”, we realize that the real miracle performed by Christ was to show that the key to overcoming hunger lies in sharing rather than in greedily hoarding. This is something we may have forgotten today.

There are people who suffer grievously and long for solutions to their many needs. We are well aware that they cannot solve them by themselves. The continuing tragedy of widespread hunger and malnutrition, which persists in many countries today, is sadder and more shameful when we realize that, although the earth is capable of producing enough food for all human beings, and despite international commitments to food security, it is unfortunate that so many of the world’s poor still lack their daily bread.

On the other hand, we are currently witnessing with despair the iniquitous use of hunger as a weapon of war. Starving people to death is a very cheap way of waging war.

Political crisis, armed conflicts and economic turbulence pay a central role in the worsening of the food crisis, hindering humanitarian aid and compromising local agricultural production, thus negating not only access to food, but also the right to lead a life of dignity and opportunity. It would be a fatal error not to heal the wounds and fractures caused by years of selfishness and superficiality. Likewise, without peace and stability, it will not be possible to guarantee resilient agricultural and food systems, nor to ensure a healthy, accessible and sustainable food supply for all. Hence the need for dialogue, where the parties involved are not only willing to talk to each other, but also to listen to each other, to understand each other and to act together. There will be no shortage of obstacles, but with a sense of humanity and fraternity, the results can only be positive.

The words of Pope Leo XIV