We Must “Not Give Simply to Eat but Give Ourselves in Service to Others,” Says Pope to UN Specialized Agency to Defeat Hunger

(ZENIT News / Vatican City-Rome, 18.10.2022).- On the occasion of the second edition of the World Food Forum, being held at the headquarters of the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) in Rome, Pope Francis sent a special message “to those who are committed and striving every day to eradicate hunger and poverty in the world.”

In his Message, the Pontiff said that “[f]ood is fundamental to human life. Indeed, it shares in its sacredness and cannot be treated like any other commodity. Food is a concrete sign of the Creator’ goodness and the fruits of the earth. I am reminded of our grandparents and the respect they had for bread; they kissed it when they brought it to the table and did not allow anything to go to waste. Christ Himself, in the Eucharist, became bread, living bread for the life of the world (cf. John 6:51).

The Holy Father added, “[r]especting food and according it the pre-eminent place it has in human life will only be possible if, in addition to concern for its production, availability and access, as well as for the technical measures of agricultural trade, we become aware that it is a gift of God of which we are merely custodians. As I have said in  my other recent messages to your Organization, our first concern must focus on the human being as such, considered integrally and taking into account his or her real needs, in particular those who lack the basic sustenance for survival.”

Referring to the present global situation, the Pope ended saying that “in this period of interconnected crises, the message of Christ, even for non-believers, demands not only that we feed, but that we give ourselves in service to others, recognizing and guaranteeing the centrality of the human person. This priority can only be safeguarded if we once again believe in the fraternity and solidarity that must inspire relations between individuals and between peoples.”

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