FAO: Pope sends strong message on the battle against hunger

Pope Benedict XVI brought a spiritual and moral dimension to the opening session of the World Summit on Food Security. While addressing the summit hosted by the U.N Food and Agriculture Organization he took a page from his latest encyclical Caritas in Veritate. Benedict XVI "Nor must the fundamental rights of the individual be forgotten, which include of course the right to sufficient, healthy and nutritious food, and likewise water." According to FAO, 1 out of six people suffer from hunger. On the first day of the three day conference the Pope along with other world leaders called for wealthy countries to invest in agriculture, open access to international markets for poorer economies and cautioned against forms of aid that stem from greed. Benedict XVI "Statistics bear witness to the dramatic growth in the number of people suffering from hunger made worse by the rise in price of foodstuffs, the reduction in economic resources available to the poorest peoples, and their limited access to the markets and to food." FAO is urging wealthy governments to invest 44 billion dollars a year in agricultural aid. Banki-Moon U.N Secretary-General "We need the support from the international community, without funding we dont be able to do that." Benedict XVI "Hunger is the most cruel and concrete sign of poverty, Opulence and waster are no longer acceptable when the tragedy of hunger is assuming even greater proportions." More than 200 delegates from around the world attended the first day of the summit including Libyan leader and President of the African Union Muammar EL-Gheddafi. Along with President Lula of Brazil who was handed a prestigious award for being at the top of the list of countries for successfully reducing hunger over the past 7 years in his country. Meanwhile Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi was the only G8 leader present. Five of the popes predecessors have addressed similar summits hosted by FAO this was Benedict XVIs first time. MC/JM/WP . --------------------- Suscríbete al canal: http://smarturl.it/RomeReports Visita nuestra web: http://www.romereports.com/ ROME REPORTS, www.romereports.com, is an independent international TV News Agency based in Rome covering the activity of the Pope, the life of the Vatican and current social, cultural and religious debates. Reporting on the Catholic Church requires proximity to the source, in-depth knowledge of the Institution, and a high standard of creativity and technical excellence. As few broadcasters have a permanent correspondent in Rome, ROME REPORTS is geared to inform the public and meet the needs of television broadcasting companies around the world through daily news packages, weekly newsprograms and documentaries. --------------------- Follow us... Our WEB http://www.romereports.com/ FACEBOOK https://www.facebook.com/RomeReportsENG TWITTER https://twitter.com/romereports PINTEREST http://www.pinterest.com/romereports/ INSTAGRAM http://instagram.com/romereports