Pope Leo tells world leaders to stop fueling wars, feed the hungry – THIS UPDATE

By Ayo Kehinde

Pope Leo

Speaking during a visit to the Rome headquarters of the World Food Programme, the pontiff said the world is witnessing a dangerous imbalance in political decision-making, where wars are “fed” more easily than people are fed.

“Conflicts are ‘fed’ more easily than people are fed,” said Pope Leo, the first US-born Pope, in a speech that sharply criticized global spending priorities and the growing militarization of international affairs.

He warned that this trend reflects not just administrative inefficiencies but a deeper moral and political failure among world leaders.

“This reality reflects not only operational shortcomings but also a fundamental imbalance in political and moral priorities,” he said.

Pope Leo

According to him, such priorities undermine multilateral cooperation and weaken global responses to crises affecting millions of vulnerable people.

“Countries have increasingly allocated their resources to national security, economic growth and internal stability, ignoring the close link between these issues and multilateral cooperation,” the Pontiff said.

Reaffirming the Vatican’s position on humanitarian justice, Pope Leo declared that access to food must be treated as a fundamental human right rooted in human dignity.

“Access to food is a fundamental human right founded on the dignity of every person,” he said, underlining that hunger should never be normalized in a resource-rich world.

He further argued that addressing food insecurity is not only a moral duty but also a strategic necessity, underlining that hunger often fuels instability, displacement and conflict.

“Food safety is an essential component of global and integral security,” he added.

The World Food Program remains the world’s largest food aid provider, but continues to operate under severe funding pressure as global crises multiply.

The agency reportedly delivered 15.6 billion daily rations to 121 million people in 2025, supported by about $6.5 billion in private donations, even as rising conflicts and climate shocks strain global supply chains.

Its largest donor, the United States, recently announced an $800 million contribution following previous reductions in aid allocations under former President Donald Trump, who significantly reduced planned humanitarian funding.

Pope Leo was received at WFP headquarters by Cindy McCain, who resigned earlier this year for health reasons.

The WFP, which received the Nobel Peace Prize in 2020, continues to warn that world hunger levels remain dangerously high due to a combination of conflict, economic instability and funding shortages.

The pontiff urged world leaders to reevaluate their priorities and strengthen international cooperation to tackle hunger and inequality, warning that continued neglect of food insecurity could worsen global instability.

He stressed that investing in food systems is essential to preventing conflicts and building long-term peace.

“Easing hunger not only helps those in need, but also addresses the root causes of geopolitical instability,” he said.

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