Gerard O’Connell
Francis said the theme highlights “the distorted relation between food and nutrition.” Indeed, he said, “we are in fact witnessing how food is ceasing to be a means of subsistence and turning into an avenue of personal destruction.”
He emphasized that those who are overweight “are no longer simply a byproduct of the diet enjoyed by peoples blessed with abundance.” They are also “found in poorer countries too, where they eat little, but increasingly [they eat] poorly, since they imitate dietary models imported from developed areas.”
He pointed out that “due to poor nutrition, pathologies arise not only from the imbalance caused by ‘excess’, often resulting in diabetes, cardiovascular diseases and other forms of degenerative diseases, but also by ‘deficiency,’ as documented by an increasing number of deaths from anorexia and bulimia.”
Pope Francis called for “a conversion in our way of living and acting” and stated that “nutrition represents an important starting point.” He said, “Nutritional disorders can only be combated by the cultivation of lifestyles inspired by gratitude for the gifts we have received and the adoption of a spirit of temperance, moderation, abstinence, self-control and solidarity.”
He recalled that “these virtues, which have accompanied the history of humanity, summon us to a more simple and sober life and unfailing concern for the needs of those around us.”
By adopting such a lifestyle, he said, “we will grow in a fraternal solidarity that seeks the common good and avoids the individualism and egocentrism that serve only to generate hunger and social inequality.” This is the way “to cultivate a healthy relationship with ourselves, with our brothers and sisters, and with the environment in which we live.”
In the letter, Pope Francis emphasized the primary role the family has to play in developing such a lifestyle, thanks especially to “the particular sensitivity and wisdom of women and mothers.” He noted that the F.A.O. recognizes this by the attention it gives to protecting rural families and promoting family farming.
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Pope Francis, quoting from his encyclical “Laudato Si’,” said, “It is a cruel, unjust and paradoxical reality that, today, there is food for everyone and yet not everyone has access to it, and that in some areas of the world food is wasted, discarded and consumed in excess, or destined for other purposes than nutrition.”
In order “to escape from this spiral,” he said, “we need to promote economic institutions and social initiatives which can give the poor regular access to basic resources.”
He concluded by saying: “In the fight against hunger and malnutrition, our first concern should always be the human person: concrete men, women and children, especially those who lack daily food and have a limited ability to manage family and social relationships.”
Furthermore, he said, “when priority is given to the human person, humanitarian aid operations and development programs will surely have a greater impact and will yield the expected results.”
October 16, 2019
A volunteer serves a meal at a soup kitchen in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Oct. 4, 2019. Resolving the global crises of world hunger and malnutrition demands a shift away from a distorted approach to food and toward healthier lifestyles and just economic practices, Pope Francis said in an Oct. 16 message. (CNS photo/Agustin Marcarian, Reuters)
Pope Francis has again condemned the relegation of food “to a mere commercial product subject to financial speculation” that results in a global contradiction: Even as some 800 million people suffer from hunger and malnutrition worldwide, another 700 million people are obese, “victims of improper dietary habits.”
In a letter to Qu Dongyu, the first-ever Chinese director general of the Food and Agricultural Organization of the United Nations on the occasion of the annual World Food Day on Oct. 16, the pope declared that “the battle against hunger and malnutrition will not end as long as the logic of the market prevails, and profit is sought at any cost.”
Pope Francis emphasized the need for “a conversion in our way of living and acting.” He said, “we must come to realize that what we are accumulating and wasting is the bread of the poor.”
World Food Day is sponsored by the F.A.O. to draw attention to the plight of so many hungry people and to highlight the need for greater action against hunger. Each year F.A.O. chooses a theme to celebrate this day. For this year it is: “Our actions are our future. Healthy diets for a #ZeroHunger world.”
Pope Francis has again condemned the relegation of food “to a mere commercial product subject to financial speculation” that results in a global contradiction: Even as some 800 million people suffer from hunger and malnutrition worldwide, another 700 million people are obese, “victims of improper dietary habits.”
In a letter to Qu Dongyu, the first-ever Chinese director general of the Food and Agricultural Organization of the United Nations on the occasion of the annual World Food Day on Oct. 16, the pope declared that “the battle against hunger and malnutrition will not end as long as the logic of the market prevails, and profit is sought at any cost.”
Pope Francis emphasized the need for “a conversion in our way of living and acting.” He said, “we must come to realize that what we are accumulating and wasting is the bread of the poor.”
World Food Day is sponsored by the F.A.O. to draw attention to the plight of so many hungry people and to highlight the need for greater action against hunger. Each year F.A.O. chooses a theme to celebrate this day. For this year it is: “Our actions are our future. Healthy diets for a #ZeroHunger world.”
Pope Francis emphasized the need for “a conversion in our way of living and acting.” He said, “we must come to realize that what we are accumulating and wasting is the bread of the poor.”
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Francis said the theme highlights “the distorted relation between food and nutrition.” Indeed, he said, “we are in fact witnessing how food is ceasing to be a means of subsistence and turning into an avenue of personal destruction.”
He emphasized that those who are overweight “are no longer simply a byproduct of the diet enjoyed by peoples blessed with abundance.” They are also “found in poorer countries too, where they eat little, but increasingly [they eat] poorly, since they imitate dietary models imported from developed areas.”
He pointed out that “due to poor nutrition, pathologies arise not only from the imbalance caused by ‘excess’, often resulting in diabetes, cardiovascular diseases and other forms of degenerative diseases, but also by ‘deficiency,’ as documented by an increasing number of deaths from anorexia and bulimia.”
Pope Francis called for “a conversion in our way of living and acting” and stated that “nutrition represents an important starting point.” He said, “Nutritional disorders can only be combated by the cultivation of lifestyles inspired by gratitude for the gifts we have received and the adoption of a spirit of temperance, moderation, abstinence, self-control and solidarity.”
He recalled that “these virtues, which have accompanied the history of humanity, summon us to a more simple and sober life and unfailing concern for the needs of those around us.”
By adopting such a lifestyle, he said, “we will grow in a fraternal solidarity that seeks the common good and avoids the individualism and egocentrism that serve only to generate hunger and social inequality.” This is the way “to cultivate a healthy relationship with ourselves, with our brothers and sisters, and with the environment in which we live.”
In the letter, Pope Francis emphasized the primary role the family has to play in developing such a lifestyle, thanks especially to “the particular sensitivity and wisdom of women and mothers.” He noted that the F.A.O. recognizes this by the attention it gives to protecting rural families and promoting family farming.
RELATED STORIES
Pope Francis, quoting from his encyclical “Laudato Si’,” said, “It is a cruel, unjust and paradoxical reality that, today, there is food for everyone and yet not everyone has access to it, and that in some areas of the world food is wasted, discarded and consumed in excess, or destined for other purposes than nutrition.”
In order “to escape from this spiral,” he said, “we need to promote economic institutions and social initiatives which can give the poor regular access to basic resources.”
He concluded by saying: “In the fight against hunger and malnutrition, our first concern should always be the human person: concrete men, women and children, especially those who lack daily food and have a limited ability to manage family and social relationships.”
Furthermore, he said, “when priority is given to the human person, humanitarian aid operations and development programs will surely have a greater impact and will yield the expected results.”
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