GENEVA
Pope Leo on Monday urged governments to ensure that access to food, water and healthcare is not subordinated to geopolitical interests, calling for renewed multilateral cooperation to combat hunger and its root causes.
Addressing the Executive Board of the UN World Food Programme (WFP) at its headquarters in Rome, the pontiff said the world faces persistent crises marked by conflict, chronic food insecurity, economic instability and climate-related vulnerabilities.
The issue is no longer limited to how to intervene, but rather “extends to understanding why the system constantly produces the very problems it is then forced to correct,” he said.
The pope warned that the international order has become increasingly fragmented amid a crisis of multilateralism, with countries prioritizing national security and economic interests over cooperation.
He also criticized what he described as a growing imbalance in global priorities.
“Conflicts are ‘fed’ more readily than people are nourished,” he said, arguing that humanitarian efforts are often hindered by political decisions, bureaucracy and economic considerations.
Leo stressed that hunger is not only a humanitarian issue but also a driver of conflict, social instability and forced migration.
He called on governments to strengthen international cooperation, increase resources devoted to fighting hunger and remove barriers preventing aid from reaching vulnerable populations.
The pope praised the WFP’s work in emergency response and long-term food security programs.
