Through a message read by Cardinal Pietro Parolin, the Vatican Secretary of State, the Pope directed his words to Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, the current chair of the G20, as the leaders convened in Rio de Janeiro on November 18 and 19.
This two-day summit brought together representatives from 19 nations, the African Union, and the European Union to discuss pressing global issues.
According to Vatican News, the Pope congratulated President Lula for hosting the summit and expressed his hope that the leaders' discussions would yield meaningful solutions to create a better world and ensure a brighter future for generations to come.
He highlighted the critical and urgent need to eradicate hunger, which he described as a scandal of our time.
Millions of people suffer and die from hunger while vast amounts of food are wastedâ€"a contradiction he called a "criminal act."
'It is thus evident that immediate and decisive action must be taken to eradicate the scourge of hunger and poverty. Such action must be undertaken in a joint and collaborative manner, with the involvement of the entire international community,' he stated.
Drawing from his encyclical Fratelli Tutti, he emphasized that food is an inalienable right and that allowing hunger to persist represents a profound moral failure.
Pope Francis further pointed to the devastating role of armed conflicts in perpetuating hunger and poverty.
As the Pope said, wars not only destroy lives and communities but also disrupt global supply chains, deepen inequality, and redirect enormous resources toward weaponry rather than human welfare.
He stressed the need to forge new paths to peace, calling for a stable and lasting resolution to conflicts that would restore dignity to those affected.
The Pope also lamented the vast sums spent on military expenditures and urged leaders to redirect these funds to initiatives aimed at addressing hunger and fostering development in impoverished regions.
The Pope expressed his support for the Global Alliance Against Hunger and Poverty and assured the G20 leaders that the Holy See remains committed to promoting human dignity through the work of Catholic institutions worldwide.
IGIHE
