Message from the pontiff to the leaders of the most industrialized countries gathered in Brazil: “There is food for everyone on the planet, investments must be promoted to help the poor satisfy their primary needs.” “Give up spending on weapons and create a global development fund.” No to projects “imposed from above or by entities that only seek their own interests or benefits.”
Vatican City () – “The silent acceptance of hunger by human society is a scandalous injustice and a serious offense. “Those who, through speculation and greed, cause the hunger and death of their brothers and sisters of the human family, indirectly commit a murder for which they are responsible.”
Pope Francis addressed a message to the leaders of the G20 countries – the group of the world’s largest economies – gathered in Rio de Janeiro for the annual summit, which this year takes place in Brazil. In the text read today by Card. Pietro Parolin, Vatican Secretary of State, during the first work session – the pontiff once again denounces the plague of hunger, along with the great paradox that in today’s world 3 billion people “do not have access to a nutritious diet” , while another 2 billion “are overweight or obese due to an incorrect diet.”
Contradictions that wars only exacerbate: “Armed conflicts – Francis reminds – are not only responsible for a significant number of deaths, massive displacements and environmental degradation, but they also contribute to the increase in hunger and poverty. , both directly in affected areas and indirectly in countries located hundreds or thousands of kilometers from conflict zones, mainly due to the disruption of supply chains. Wars continue to put considerable pressure on national economies, especially due to. to the exorbitant amount of money spent on weapons and weapons.”
That is why the Holy Father calls for “immediate and decisive action,” which “must be undertaken jointly and collaboratively, with the participation of the entire international community.” For the Pope, the elimination of malnutrition cannot be achieved by “simply increasing global food production,” since there would already be “enough to feed all the people on our planet.” Rather, it is a question of fair distribution and “investments that help the poor and hungry meet their basic needs.”
To the great people of the earth, called to make concrete their “Global Alliance against hunger and poverty”, the Pope recalls the proposal that the Holy See presented some time ago, which involves redirecting the funds currently allocated to weapons and other military expenses towards a global fund aimed at addressing hunger and promoting development in the most impoverished countries. “This approach – writes Francisco – would help prevent the citizens of these countries from being forced to resort to violent or illusory solutions, or to abandon their country in search of a more dignified life.”
But the pontiff also asks that the concrete life of local communities be respected in the development of strategies to fight hunger. “The cultural wealth and traditions of the people cannot be ignored or destroyed in the name of a narrow and myopic concept of progress. In that case – he warns – there is a risk of making it synonymous with ideological colonization”, with interventions and projects “imposed from above or by entities that only seek their own interests or benefits.”
“For its part – he adds – the Holy See will continue to promote human dignity and make its specific contribution to the common good, offering the experience and commitment of Catholic institutions around the world, so that in our world no human being, as a person loved by God, be deprived of your daily bread. “May Almighty God – concludes the Pope, addressing the leaders of the G20 – abundantly bless your works and your efforts for the authentic progress of the entire human family.”
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