(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis travelled to the UN Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) Headquarters in Rome on Thursday to give a speech to the Second International Conference on Nutrition which is taking place this week. In his address to participants the Holy Father spoke of waste and excessive consumption of food as well as the rights of those who go hungry.
Below is the English language translation of Pope Francis’ speech to the Second International Conference on Nutrition at FAO Headquarters in Rome.
Mr President
Ladies and Gentlemen
I am pleased and honoured to speak here today, at this Second International Conference on Nutrition. I wish to thank you, Mr. President, for your warm greeting and the words of welcome. I cordially greet the Director General of the World Health Organisation (WHO), Dr. Margaret Chan, and the Director General of the FAO, Professor José Graziano da Silva, and I rejoice in their decision to convene this conference of representatives of States, international institutions, and organisations of civil society, the world of agriculture and the private sector, with the aim of studying together the forms of intervention necessary in the fight against hunger and malnutrition, as well as the changes that must be made to existing strategies. The overall unity of purpose and of action, and above all the spirit of brotherhood, can be decisive in finding appropriate solutions. The Church, as you know, seeks always to be attentive and watchful regarding the spiritual and material welfare of the people, especially those who are marginalised or excluded, to ensure their safety and dignity.
1. The fates of nations are intertwined, more than ever before; they are like the members of one family who depend upon each other. However, we live in a time in which the relations between nations are too often damaged by mutual suspicion, that at times turns into forms of military and economic aggression, undermining friendship between brothers and rejecting or discarding what is already excluded. He who lacks his daily bread or a decent job is well aware of this. This is a picture of today’s world, in which it is necessary to recognise the limits of approaches based on the sovereignty of each State, intended as absolute, and national interest, frequently conditioned by small power groups. Your working agenda for developing new standards and greater commitments to feed the world shows this well. From this perspective, I hope that, in the formulation of these commitments, the States are inspired by the conviction that the right to food can only be ensured if we care about the actual subject, that is, the person who suffers the effects of hunger and malnutrition.
Nowadays there is much talk of rights, frequently neglecting duties; perhaps we have paid too little heed to those who are hungry. It is also painful to see that the struggle against hunger and malnutrition is hindered by “market priorities”, the “primacy of profit”, which have reduced foodstuffs to a commodity like any other, subject to speculation, also of a financial nature. And while we speak of new rights, the hungry remain, at the street corner, and ask to be recognised as citizens, to receive a healthy diet. We ask for dignity, not for charity.
2. These criteria cannot remain in the limbo of theory. Persons and peoples ask for justice to be put into practice: not only in a legal sense, but also in terms of contribution and distribution. Therefore, development plans and the work of international organisations must take into consideration the wish, so frequent among ordinary people, for respect for fundamental human rights and, in this case, the rights of the hungry. When this is achieved, then humanitarian intervention, emergency relief and development operations – in their truest, fullest sense – will attain greater momentum and bring the desired results.
3. Interest in the production, availability and accessibility of foodstuffs, climate change and agricultural trade should certainly inspire rules and technical measures, but the first concern must be the individual as a whole, who lacks daily nourishment and has given up thinking about life, family and social relationships, instead fighting for survival. St. John Paul II, in the inauguration in this hall of the First Conference on Nutrition in 1992, warned the international community against the risk of the “paradox of plenty”, in which there is food for everyone, but not everyone can eat, while waste, excessive consumption and the use of food for other purposes is visible before our very eyes. Unfortunately, this “paradox” remains relevant. There are few subjects about which we find as many fallacies as those related to hunger; few topics as likely to be manipulated by data, statistics, the demands of national security, corruption, or futile lamentation about the economic crisis. This is the first challenge to be overcome.
The second challenge to be faced is the lack of solidarity; we suspect that subconsciously we would like to remove this word from the dictionary. Our societies are characterised by growing individualism and division: this ends up depriving the weakest of a decent life, and provokes revolts against institutions. When there is a lack of solidarity in a country, the effects are felt throughout the world. Indeed, solidarity is the attitude that makes people capable of reaching our to others and basing their mutual relations on this sense of brotherhood that overcomes differences and limits, and inspires us to seek the common good together.
Human beings, as they become aware of being partly responsible for the plan of creation, become capable of mutual respect, instead of fighting between themselves, damaging and impoverishing the planet. States, too, understood as a community of persons and peoples, are required to act concertedly, to be willing to help each other through the principles and norms offered by international law. A source of inspiration is natural law, inscribed in the human heart, that speaks a language that everyone can understand: love, justice, peace, elements that are inseparable from each other. Like people, States and international institutions are called to welcome and nurture these values – love, justice, peace – and this must be done with a spirit of dialogue and mutual listening. In this way, the aim of feeding the human family becomes feasible.
4. Every woman, man, child and elderly person everywhere should be able to count on these guarantees. It is the duty of every State that cares for the wellbeing of its citizens to subscribe to them unreservedly, and to take the necessary steps to ensure their implementation. This requires perseverance and support. The Catholic Church also offers her contribution in this field through constant attention to the life of the poor in all parts of the world; along the same lines, the Holy See is actively involved in international organisations and through numerous documents and statements. In this way, it contributes to identifying and assuming the criteria to be met in order to develop an equitable international system. These are criteria that, on the ethical plane, are based on the pillars of truth, freedom, justice and solidarity; at the same time, in the legal field, these same criteria include the relationship between rights and food, and the right to life and a dignified existence, the right to be protected by law, not always close to the reality of those who suffer from hunger, and the moral obligation to share the economic wealth of the world.
If we believe in the principle of the unity of the human family, based on the common paternity of God the Creator, and in the fraternity of human beings, no form of political or economic pressure that exploits the availability of foodstuffs can be considered acceptable. Political and economic pressure: here I think of our sister and mother, Earth, our planet, and of whether we are free of political and economic pressure and able to care for her, to avoid her destruction. We have two conferences ahead of us, in Perù and France, which pose the challenge to us of caring for our planet. I remember a phrase that I heard from an elderly man many years ago: God always forgives … our misdemeanours, our abuse, God always forgives; men forgive at times; but the Earth never forgives. We must care for our sister the Earth, our Mother Earth, so that she does not respond with destruction. But, above all, no system of discrimination, de facto or de jure, linked to the capacity of access to the market of foodstuffs, must be taken as a model for international efforts that aim to eliminate hunger.
By sharing these reflections with you, I ask that the Almighty, God rich in mercy, bless all those who, with different responsibilities, place themselves at the service of those who experience hunger and who assist them with concrete gestures of closeness. I also pray that the international community might hear the call of this Conference and consider it an expression of the common conscience of humanity: feed the hungry, save life on the planet. Thank you.
(from Vatican Radio)…
(Vatican Radio) The Humanum Conference ended on Wednesday with the publication of “A New Affirmation on Marriage.” The Conference, co-sponsored by the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, took place in the Vatican, and explored the complementarity nature of the male and female in marriage. Pope Francis opened the conference on Monday.
“It is hard now to speak of such obvious and beautiful things, but they are there,” the statement reads. “All the witnesses know it. It is the music of man and of woman. Man with woman brings out the finest in him, directing his blood and his mind toward what makes life possible; and woman with man brings out the finest in her, directing her love and her care toward what makes life sweet.”
The statement went on to discuss the problems facing marriage today.
“Today, however, the homes that marriage makes are exposed to an army of distractions, and to the thief and the enemy who comes to steal and destroy,” continues the statement. “Weddings are rarer and children fewer. Where poverty erodes, marriage feels out of reach. Where war afflicts, families are crushed. Anywhere marriage recedes, we lose the transcendent and material goods that all human beings should enjoy. And we too are at fault, for when marriages are exposed to the wind and the rain, we have paid little attention. When the needs of children succumb to the wishes of adults, we have often remained silent. Love is reduced to a consumer item, an airbrushed image, or a slogan to export. It will not work. We will not flourish.”
The full statement is at the Humanum website .
(from Vatican Radio)…
(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis on Wednesday appointed René Brülhart as the new President of the Financial Information Authority. He is the first layperson to hold the job. Brülhart has served as the Director of the FIA since 2012. The FIA was established by Pope Benedict XVI in 2010, and is the competent authority of the Holy See and the Vatican City State for dealing financial intelligence and supervision. It oversees efforts to combat money laundering and the financing of terrorism, and supervises all entities carrying out professionally financial activities at the Vatican. Under Brülhart’s directorship, the FIA has signed agreements with the financial intelligence units of several countries, including the U.S.A, Germany, and Italy. Cardinal Attilio Nicora served as the first President of the Authority until January of this year, when Bishop Giorgio Corbellini took over as interim-president.
(from Vatican Radio)…
(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis on Wednesday appointed René Brülhart as the new President of the Financial Information Authority. He is the first layperson to hold the job. Brülhart has served as the Director of the FIA since 2012. The FIA was established by Pope Benedict XVI in 2010, and is the competent authority of the…
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(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis will on Thursday pay a visit to the Headquarters of the UN Food and Agriculture Organisation here in Rome on the occasion of the Second International Conference on Nutrition.
The three day gathering which began on Wednesday brings together senior national policymakers on agriculture and health along with leaders of United Nations agencies and other intergovernmental organizations and civil society.
Listen to Lydia O’Kane’s interview with Boitshepo Giyose a senior food and nutrition security adviser for the New Partnership for Africa’s Development Secretariat.
The aim of the meeting is to review progress made towards improving nutrition since 1992, reflect on nutrition problems that remain, and identify policy options for improving nutrition.
Although the conference will have a global perspective, it will focus particularly on nutrition challenges in developing countries.
Attending the event is Boitshepo Giyose a senior food and nutrition security adviser for the New Partnership for Africa’s Development Secretariat, (NEPAD) South Africa. She to Vatican Radio of her hopes for the conference. “It is not just another conference really it is a call to action for all actors, for all governments , for the global economy, for the global players to pull together, work in tandem, work in harmony to ensure a common goal of reducing hunger and malnutrition, assuring that the post 2015 Agenda are acted on.”
In the past Pope Francis has spoken out against a culture of waste when their are people are starving in the world, saying, “This culture of waste has made us insensitive even to the waste and disposal of food, which is even more despicable when all over the world, unfortunately, many individuals and families are suffering from hunger and malnutrition.”
Stressing the importance of the Pope’s voice on the issue of food and nutrition justice Ms Giyose added that, “Pope Francis… in his stature, he is a champion in his own right for food justice, for nutrition justice. We cannot continue to live in a world whereby there’s so much food waste, there is so much wastage…”
Other participants at the conference the Prime Minister of Bangladesh and the King of Lesotho.
The meeting runs until the 21 st of November.
(from Vatican Radio)…