Pope Leo XIV calls world hunger a ‘terrible offense’ against human dignity

Pope Leo XIV on Friday called world hunger a “terrible offense” against human dignity and emphasized that adequate food is a basic human right.

“It is a terrible offense against human dignity to prevent bread from reaching any person or to destroy the means by which it is produced,” the pontiff wrote in a message published for World Food Day.

Still recovering from surgery at Rome’s Gemelli Hospital, Leo addressed his message to Qu Dongyu, director general of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO). World Food Day, celebrated every year on Oct. 16 to highlight world hunger, also marks the organization’s founding in 1945.

‘World hunger remains due to lack of charity’ In his message, Leo lamented the challenge of world hunger and questioned how some can speak of technological innovation while food shortages persist.

“Hunger cannot be considered a statistical anomaly, for it is caused mainly by a lack of political will and collective charity,” Leo said.

“Today, people speak of innovation with great confidence,” Leo said. “However, this term is often used only in reference to the development of devices and algorithms, or the optimization of…