Pope says unequal distribution of resources must end to stop famine

Published: 2006-11-13

VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- If famine and malnutrition are to be alleviated, funneling most of the earth's resources to a select few must end, and individuals need to adopt less consumerist lifestyles, Pope Benedict XVI said. The unjust distribution of the world's resources not only creates "the scandal of hunger," it also plays a role in today's environmental and energy crises, the pope said during his Nov. 12 Angelus address in St. Peter's Square. More than 860 million people around the world suffer from malnutrition, and "too many people, especially children, die of hunger," the pope said. Every five seconds a child dies from starvation, according to the U.N. Food and Agricultural Organization. Jacques Diouf, head of the U.N. organization, said the number of people who go hungry is increasing by 4 million each year.

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