World Food Program head meets pope, praises church aid for poor

Published: 2007-01-16

VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- The head of the World Food Program, James Morris, praised the Catholic Church's commitment to the poor after meeting with Pope Benedict XVI at the Vatican. The pope spoke with Morris in a private audience Jan. 15, a week after the pontiff emphasized the need to reduce hunger in a speech to diplomats accredited to the Vatican. "I wish to thank His Holiness for his continuous personal commitment, as well as that of the Catholic Church, to the poor and desperate people in the world," Morris said in a statement released from his Rome office. Morris noted that the World Food Program works closely with a number of Catholic humanitarian organizations, including Caritas Internationalis, Catholic Relief Services, the Daughters of Charity, Jesuit Refugee Service, the International Catholic Migration Commission and the Sant'Egidio Community. "The spiritual, moral and material support of Pope Benedict XVI and of the Catholic Church represents a real hope to provide a future to millions of children," Morris said.

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