Pope Leo decries leaders who 'feed' wars while millions go hungry
- Last updated: June 22, 2026 | 16:45
World leaders are "feeding" wars instead of the hungry, Pope Leo said on Monday, telling the UN food aid agency that global priorities were badly skewed.
Leo, who has been more outspoken on political issues in recent months, urged governments to increase their spending to combat hunger and not subject food aid to limits based on geopolitical concerns.
"Conflicts are 'fed' more readily than people are nourished," the first US pope said in a visit to the Rome headquarters of the World Food Programme (WFP).
"This reality reflects not only operational shortcomings but also a fundamental imbalance in political and moral priorities," he said.
The WFP is the largest provider of food aid worldwide. Its biggest donor is the U.S., which announced a new $800 million contribution last week, following earlier cuts by President Donald Trump that more than halved planned U.S. funding.
POPE SAYS ACCESS TO FOOD IS A FUNDAMENTAL RIGHT
Leo, who drew Trump's ire earlier this year after criticizing the Iran war, did not mention any specific leaders on Monday.
After his address at the WFP headquarters, the pope also took part in a virtual call with agency workers in several countries, including Venezuela and Lebanon.
The pope lamented in his address that the world's humanitarian crises were being relegated to a "secondary place among international priorities."
He said that countries "have increasingly allocated their resources towards national security, economic growth and domestic stability, disregarding the close link between these issues and multilateral cooperation."
Leo was welcomed to the WFP on Monday by Cindy McCain, who resigned as director of the agency earlier this year for health reasons.
The WFP, which won the Nobel Peace Prize in 2020, provided 15.6 billion daily rations to 121 million people in 2025, funded by $6.5 billion in voluntary donations, according to the agency.
The WFP warned last week that acute food insecurity would worsen for millions of people across 13 countries between June and November, with conflict, funding shortages and climate shocks taking their toll.
The agency, which does not receive direct funding from the UN, is seeking $13 billion in donations for 2026.
Leo said that access to food was "a fundamental human right grounded in the dignity of every person."
He said alleviating hunger not only helped those in need but also addressed underlying causes of geopolitical instability.
"Food security is an essential component of global and integral security," said the pope.
Reuters