Pope Leo criticises use of food 'as weapon of war' on World Food Day

  ROME – Pope Leo XIV visited to the FAO headquarters in Rome on World Food Day, Oct. 16, where he spoke out against world hunger and criticised the use of food “as a weapon of war.”

  Addressing those gathered at the FAO headquarters, including Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, the pontiff called food insecurity and scarcity “a sign of prevailing insensitivity, of a soulless economy, of a questionable development model and of an unfair system of distribution of resources.”

  He said that “at a time when science has extended life expectancy, technology has brought continents closer together and knowledge has opened up previously unimaginable horizons, allowing millions of human beings to live – and die – stricken by hunger is a collective failure, an ethical misdirection, a historical guilt.” On choosing his papal name “Leo”, he said he wanted to tackle and work alongside new technology which poses challenges to human dignity and labour.

  The pope condemned the use of food as a “weapon of war". He reminded the audience that international humanitarian law “prohibits without exception the targeting of civilians and objects essential to the survival of populations,” which includes the use of starvation of civilians as a method of warfare. The pontiff continued, saying that “this seems to have been forgotten” as we are witnessing “the continuous use of this cruel strategy” in warfare across the globe.He added that in turning a blind eye, we are all "accomplices" of these war crimes. Observers noted that the pontiff's reference to mass starvation as a weapon of war comes shortly after Israel has drawn widespread criticism from the international community for preventing food from entering the Gaza Strip.

  Although the pope did not explicitly reference Gaza when refering to starvation as a war crime, he later extended his thoughts to those “condemned to death and hardship in Ukraine, Gaza, Haiti, Afghanistan, Mali, the Central African Republic, Yemen, and South Sudan” due to food scarcity and poverty. 

  Pope Leo closed his speech by drawing attention to “the multitudes” who lack access to basic needs such as “drinking water, food, essential medical care, decent housing, basic education, or dignified work.” He called on the international community, consisting of governments, NGOs and ordinary civilians alike, to "not look away" and instead “make their suffering our own” and help our “brothers” across the world “without delay.”

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