Use economics to end world hunger, says Pope

-14/11/06

Our present global economic sys


Use economics to end world hunger, says Pope

-14/11/06

Our present global economic systems must undergo radical change in order to give priority to ending the massive problem of world hunger, Pope Benedict XVI told pilgrims gathered in St Peter’s Square on Sunday 12 November 2006.

The head of the world’s 1.2 billion Catholics recalled that Sunday in Italy is traditionally the Day of Thanksgiving, the theme of which is: “The earth, a gift for the entire human family.”

In Christian families, declared Benedict, “children are taught always to thank the Lord before eating, with a brief prayer and the sign of the cross. This custom must be conserved and rediscovered, because it educates people not to take their ‘daily bread’ for granted but to recognize it as a divine gift.

“We should become accustomed to blessing the Creator for all things,” the Pope added. “Jesus taught his disciples to pray by asking … not for ‘my’ but for ‘our’ daily bread. In this way, he wished every man and woman to feel a shared responsibility for their fellows, that no one may lack the necessities of life. The products of the earth are a gift intended by God ‘for the entire human family.'”

Continued the Pope: “[H]ere we touch upon a very painful point: the dramatic problem of hunger which, though it has been tackled, even recently, at the highest institutional level, such as the United Nations and in particular the FAO (Food and Agriculture Organisation), remains a very serious problem.”

Commented Benedict: “The latest FAO annual report confirmed what the Church already well knows from the direct experience of her communities and missionaries: that over 800 million people live in a state of undernourishment, and that too many people, especially children, die of hunger.”

The Pope asked, “[How] can we face this situation which, though repeatedly denounced, shows no sign of improving, indeed, in some ways is getting worse? It is certainly necessary to eliminate the structural causes linked to the system of managing the world economy, which restricts the majority of the planet’s resources to a minority of the population.”

He added: “This injustice has been [criticised] on a number of occasions by my venerable predecessors, Servants of God Paul VI and John Paul II. In order to make a significant impression, it is necessary to ‘convert’ the global development model. It is not only the scandal of hunger that demands as much, but also the emergence of problems associated with the environment and energy.”

Benedict also called for personal responsibility. “[I]individuals and families can and must do something to alleviate hunger in the world by adopting a style of life and consumption compatible with the safeguarding of creation,” and showing “justice towards those who cultivate the land in all countries” of the world.

The pontiff concluded by affirming that the weekly Day of Thanksgiving “invites us, on the one hand, to give thanks to God for the fruits of agricultural labour. On the other, it encourages us to make a real commitment to defeating the scourge of hunger.”


Use economics to end world hunger, says Pope

-14/11/06

Our present global economic systems must undergo radical change in order to give priority to ending the massive problem of world hunger, Pope Benedict XVI told pilgrims gathered in St Peter’s Square on Sunday 12 November 2006.

The head of the world’s 1.2 billion Catholics recalled that Sunday in Italy is traditionally the Day of Thanksgiving, the theme of which is: “The earth, a gift for the entire human family.”

In Christian families, declared Benedict, “children are taught always to thank the Lord before eating, with a brief prayer and the sign of the cross. This custom must be conserved and rediscovered, because it educates people not to take their ‘daily bread’ for granted but to recognize it as a divine gift.

“We should become accustomed to blessing the Creator for all things,” the Pope added. “Jesus taught his disciples to pray by asking … not for ‘my’ but for ‘our’ daily bread. In this way, he wished every man and woman to feel a shared responsibility for their fellows, that no one may lack the necessities of life. The products of the earth are a gift intended by God ‘for the entire human family.'”

Continued the Pope: “[H]ere we touch upon a very painful point: the dramatic problem of hunger which, though it has been tackled, even recently, at the highest institutional level, such as the United Nations and in particular the FAO (Food and Agriculture Organisation), remains a very serious problem.”

Commented Benedict: “The latest FAO annual report confirmed what the Church already well knows from the direct experience of her communities and missionaries: that over 800 million people live in a state of undernourishment, and that too many people, especially children, die of hunger.”

The Pope asked, “[How] can we face this situation which, though repeatedly denounced, shows no sign of improving, indeed, in some ways is getting worse? It is certainly necessary to eliminate the structural causes linked to the system of managing the world economy, which restricts the majority of the planet’s resources to a minority of the population.”

He added: “This injustice has been [criticised] on a number of occasions by my venerable predecessors, Servants of God Paul VI and John Paul II. In order to make a significant impression, it is necessary to ‘convert’ the global development model. It is not only the scandal of hunger that demands as much, but also the emergence of problems associated with the environment and energy.”

Benedict also called for personal responsibility. “[I]individuals and families can and must do something to alleviate hunger in the world by adopting a style of life and consumption compatible with the safeguarding of creation,” and showing “justice towards those who cultivate the land in all countries” of the world.

The pontiff concluded by affirming that the weekly Day of Thanksgiving “invites us, on the one hand, to give thanks to God for the fruits of agricultural labour. On the other, it encourages us to make a real commitment to defeating the scourge of hunger.”