By Linda Bordoni
At the heart of Pope Francis’ message to the participants of the 2nd edition of the World Food Forum (WFF) was the call “not only to nourish the other, but to give oneself to the service of others” in a spirit of “fraternity and solidarity which must inspire relations between individuals and between peoples.
The Forum of the Rome-based Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) runs from 17-21 October 2022 and focuses on “youth action”, “science and innovation” and “investment”.
2022: A year of unprecedented hunger
The Forum comes in a year of unprecedented hunger. UN statistics show that conflict, COVID, the climate crisis and rising costs have combined to put up to 828 million hungry people around the world at risk.
In this world of interconnected crises, the Pope said in his message to the participants of the WFF opening ceremony, the message of Christ challenges us to make decisions and promote initiatives for the good and future of all mankind.
The sanctity of bread
Extending his greeting to all those who commit themselves and fight every day to eradicate hunger and poverty in the world, Pope Francis declared that “food is fundamental for human life, in fact it shares its sacred character and cannot be treated like any other commodity”. ”
He recalled the respect our grandparents had for bread: “They kissed it when they brought it to the table and didn’t let anything go to waste.
A Ukrainian couple receive food aid in the town of Lyman in the Donetsk region amid the Russian invasion
The pope said that to respect food and give it the preeminent place it has in human life, “along with concern for its production, availability and access”, we must be aware that it is ” a gift from God “. of which we are only the stewards.
The centrality of the human person
Our first concern, he explained, must “be with the human being as such, considered in his integrity and taking into account his real needs, especially those who lack the basic means of subsistence to survive. “.
In this time of interconnected crises, he continued, Christ’s message, even to unbelievers, “challenges us not just to nurture ourselves but to give ourselves in service to others, acknowledging and ensuring the centrality of the human person”.
The Pope concluded his message by saying that he entrusts the fruits of this encounter to God, “so that the initiatives and decisions that contribute to the good and the future of all humanity may multiply.”
Tigray war displaced receive sacks of wheat
