Pope Leo criticized world leaders on Monday for prioritizing conflicts over addressing global hunger, highlighting a misalignment in political and moral priorities. Speaking at the Rome headquarters of the World Food Programme (WFP), the largest global food aid agency, the pontiff called on governments to increase their funding for hunger relief without letting geopolitical concerns restrict assistance.
The first US pope remarked that “conflicts are ‘fed’ more readily than people are nourished,” emphasizing that current international response efforts reflected both operational deficiencies and deeper systemic imbalances. He lamented that humanitarian crises have been pushed to a secondary status as nations prioritize national security, economic growth, and domestic stability, often overlooking the vital connection between these issues and international cooperation.
During his visit, Pope Leo also joined a virtual meeting with WFP personnel working in countries facing acute food insecurity, including Venezuela and Lebanon. He reiterated that access to food constitutes a fundamental human right rooted in human dignity and stressed that alleviating hunger could help mitigate the root causes of geopolitical instability. “Food security is an essential component of global and integral security,” he added.
The WFP, which received the Nobel Peace Prize in 2020, provided 15.6 billion daily food rations to 121 million people worldwide in 2025. Funded primarily through voluntary donations totaling $6.5 billion, the agency is currently seeking $13 billion for its 2026 operations amid concerns about worsening food insecurity in 13 countries between June and November. Factors such as ongoing conflicts, funding shortfalls, and climate-related shocks continue to exacerbate the crisis.
The United States, the WFP’s largest donor, recently pledged an additional $800 million in aid, following significant cuts implemented under former President Donald Trump that more than halved prior funding commitments. Pope Leo did not single out any leaders during his speech but has previously drawn criticism from Trump after condemning the conflict in Iran earlier this year.
Cindy McCain, who stepped down earlier this year as WFP executive director for health reasons, welcomed the pope during his visit. The pontiff’s remarks underline growing concerns about the need to realign global priorities to better support humanitarian efforts and multilateral cooperation in addressing hunger and its broader implications for peace and stability.