Pope Leo XIV slams use of food as weapon of war

Pope Leo XIV at the Food and Agricultural Organization headquarters in Rome, Italy, October 16, 2025. ALESSANDRA TARANTINO / AP

Pope Leo XIV on Thursday, October 16, condemned the world's failure to stop millions of people going hungry, blaming a "soulless economy" and calling on people to rethink their lifestyles and priorities.

"Allowing millions of human beings to live – and die – victims of hunger is a collective failure, an ethical aberration, a historical sin," Leo said in a speech at the Rome-based UN agricultural agency. "The scourge of hunger (...) continues to atrociously plague a significant portion of humanity," he said, a day after the UN warned global hunger "is at record levels."

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