Ending hunger is part of peacemaking, pope tells U.N. organization

Published: 2003-12-05

VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- A global commitment to peacemaking must include serious, coordinated efforts to feed the poor, Pope John Paul II told government representatives from around the world. The pope met Dec. 5 at the Vatican with 400 diplomats and government employees in Rome for the annual conference of the U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization. FAO's efforts to feed the hungry, improve food production and distribution and protect the environment are more necessary than ever, the pope said. "Hunger and malnutrition, aggravated by growing poverty, represent a grave threat to the peaceful coexistence of peoples and nations," he said. Because of the close relationship between hunger and conflict, economic and political decisions "must increasingly be guided by a commitment to global solidarity and respect for fundamental human rights, including the right to adequate nourishment," he said.

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