Freedom from hunger most urgent goal says Pope

“In order to eliminate hunger and malnutrition, obstacles of self-interest must be overcome”, says Pope Benedict in his message for World Food Day 2010. In a letter addressed to Jacques Diouf
Director General of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, the Pope writes “if the international community is to be truly “united” against hunger” “it must also embrace higher values of fraternity, solidarity and the common good”.

Saturday October 16^th marks World Food Day, and this year the UN Food and Agriculture Organisation has chosen as its theme, “United Against Hunger” to recognize the efforts made in the fight against world hunger at national, regional and international levels. The Pope describes the theme as “a timely reminder that everyone needs to make a commitment to give the agricultural sector its proper importance”. He adds “everyone – from individuals to the organizations of civil society, States and international institutions – needs to give priority to one of the most urgent goals for the human family: freedom from hunger”.

The Pope goes on to note that “in order to achieve freedom from hunger it is necessary to ensure not only that enough food is available, but also that everyone has daily access to it: this means promoting whatever resources and infrastructures are necessary in order to sustain production and distribution on a scale sufficient to guarantee fully the right to food”.

In 2009 FAO launched the 1 billion hungry online petition to reflect the dire situation faced by so by so many people around the world.

Speaking to Vatican Radio Sharon Lee Cowan, who is project leader of the 1 billion hungry project says what FAO is trying to do is to “demonstrate the vast scale of hunger in the world today.” She also adds that the Pope’s support, his moral call and “anything he can say or do is immensely beneficial”. Listen: