- Pope Leo XIV urged world leaders to do more to fight global hunger
- He criticised delays in aid delivery caused by bureaucracy
- The Pope also warned that wars receive more support than humanitarian relief
Pope Leo XIV has criticised what he described as the growing bureaucratic barriers that slow humanitarian assistance, warning that aid for the hungry is often delayed while the flow of weapons continues unchecked.
Speaking on Monday during a visit to the headquarters of the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) in Rome, Eko Hot Blog gathered that the pontiff urged the international community to commit more resources to tackling hunger and its underlying causes while removing obstacles that prevent relief from reaching vulnerable populations.
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According to the Pope, there remains a wide gap between global promises to reduce human suffering and the practical actions taken to achieve that goal.
He said humanitarian operations are increasingly weighed down by administrative procedures that delay emergency assistance, while access to food and other essential supplies is frequently shaped by political, economic and strategic interests rather than human need.
The 70-year-old pontiff warned that people who do not contribute measurable economic value are at risk of being overlooked, describing the trend as a growing commodification of human life.
Pope Leo also lamented that while humanitarian and development efforts often struggle for funding and support, the movement of weapons continues with few restrictions.
He argued that conflicts are being sustained more easily than people are being fed, describing the situation as evidence of misplaced political and moral priorities.
The Pope called on governments, international organisations and individuals to strengthen support for agencies fighting global hunger, including the WFP, which provided assistance to about 121 million people in 2025.
The appeal comes as the WFP continues to grapple with significant funding reductions from the United States and several European countries, even as rising conflicts, including the war in the Middle East, have increased humanitarian needs, disrupted aid operations and driven up the cost of relief deliveries.
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