VATICAN-Benedict XVI to the FAO, "even food has become object of speculation or it is related to financial market trends that is linked to the single objective of profit"

Vatican City (Fides Service) - "Poverty, underdevelopment and therefore hunger are so often the result of selfish attitudes that from the heart of man is manifested in its social action, in economic exchange, market conditions, in the failure of access to food and expressed in the denial of the primary right of every person to eat and then to be free from hunger ". This is what the Holy Father Benedict XVI said to the participants attending the 37th Conference of the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), who the Pope received at the Vatican on 1 July. The Pope continued: "How can we ignore the fact that food has become the object of speculation, or it is related to financial market trends that, without clear rules and lacking in moral principles, is linked to the single objective of profit? Nutrition is a condition that affects the fundamental right to life".
In his speech, Benedict XVI recalled that "the moment of crisis which now embraces all aspects of economic reality and social demand ... every effort to contribute to the elimination of poverty, first step to free from hunger millions of men, women and children who lack daily bread". The causes of this situation, however, cannot be found only in aspects linked to technique. "An urgent model of development is needed that considers not only the extent of economic needs or reliability of the technical strategies to be pursued, but also the human dimension of each initiative and able to achieve true brotherhood ... In this perspective, the international community institutions are called upon to work in line with their mandate to uphold the values of human dignity by eliminating attitudes of closure and without leaving space to particular requests passed off as general interests".
A special thought was reserved by the Pope "to the plight of millions of children who are the first victims of this tragedy, doomed to an early death, to a delay in their physical and psychological development or exploited just to receive a minimum of food". It is therefore necessary to support the efforts to "rediscover the value of the rural family business and to support the central role to achieve a stable food security ... The rural family is a model not only of work, but of life and concrete expression of solidarity, where the essential role of women is confirmed".
Finally, the Holy Father underlined that ensuring food security to present generations and those to come "also means protecting the natural resources from exploitation as the race to consumption and waste seems to ignore any attention to the genetic code and biological diversities, very important for agricultural activities. But the idea of exclusive ownership of these resources is opposed to God's call to men and women because in 'farming and guarding' land promotes the use of sharing the goodness of Creation, the objective that multilateral activities and international rules can certainly help to achieve". (SL) (Agenzia Fides 07/02/2011)