ROME — Pope Leo is calling out world leaders for pouring resources into wars while millions of people go without food, delivering a sharp message Monday at the headquarters of a major international food aid organization.
Speaking at the Rome offices of the World Food Programme (WFP), Leo said global priorities have become dangerously out of balance. The first American-born pope has grown increasingly vocal on political matters in recent months.
“Conflicts are ‘fed’ more readily than people are nourished,” Leo told the agency. “This reality reflects not only operational shortcomings but also a fundamental imbalance in political and moral priorities.”
Leo urged nations to boost their contributions to fighting hunger and warned against tying food assistance to geopolitical conditions or agendas.
The WFP stands as the world’s largest distributor of food aid. Its top financial backer is the United States, which announced a new $800 million contribution last week. That announcement came after earlier reductions by President Donald Trump that cut planned U.S. funding by more than half.
Leo, who drew Trump’s anger earlier this year following his criticism of the Iran war, stopped short of naming any specific leaders during Monday’s visit.
The pope expressed concern that the world’s humanitarian emergencies were being pushed to a “secondary place among international priorities.” He said nations “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 greeted at the WFP by Cindy McCain, who stepped down as the agency’s director earlier this year due to health issues.
The WFP, which received the Nobel Peace Prize in 2020, delivered 15.6 billion daily rations to 121 million people in 2025, supported by $6.5 billion in private donations.
The pope declared that access to food is “a fundamental human right grounded in the dignity of every person,” and argued that tackling hunger goes beyond charity — it also helps address the root causes of global instability.
“Food security is an essential component of global and integral security,” Leo said.
