VATICAN - Cardinal Sodano in New York recalls “vast humanitarian activity of Catholic institutions all over the world especially in the missions and in the poorest countries” to fight hunger and poverty

Tuesday, 21 September 2004

New York (Fides Service) - “The Holy See has always supported the many individual and community initiatives to solve the dramatic problem of hunger and poverty: it suffices to recall the vast humanitarian activity of Catholic institutions all over the world especially in the missions and in the poorest countries” Cardinal Angelo Sodano, Secretary of State said yesterday when he addressed a special meeting at the United Nations building in New York on an “Initiative to fight poverty and hunger in the world”. The Initiative was launched by the President of Brazil Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, together with the Secretary General, Kofi Annan and various heads of state and government and international organisations.
The Secretary of State recalled that the Holy See has always adhered to initiatives undertaken by the different offices of the UNO directly involved in the struggle to eliminate hunger and food insecurity. The principles which inspire the Holy See’s position in this context, amply illustrated by Cardinal Sodano himself when he addressed FAO in 1996, refer to “respect for the dignity of the human person, the practice of the principle of solidarity, the realisation of the principle of universal destination of the resources of the earth and the promotion of peace”.
Efforts made by heads of state and government for a coalition against hunger and a programme of world food security have not yet achieved their goal, the Cardinal said, also because there have been many emergencies to face, caused by natural calamities and wars. The fight against hunger and thirst must certainly face a series of complex factors including “the necessity to invest in the human capital of the local people, promote the transfer of appropriate technology and guarantee equity in international trade”. In this programme to fight hunger a major problem is that of financing, in this regard Cardinal Sodano recalled commitments made by donor countries to increase aid for development to 0.7% of their respective Gross National Product.
Lastly the Secretary of State quoted Brazilian Bishop Helder Camara. “The poor have just enough to live no more, and the poorest of the poor do not even have the indispensable”, and he concluded: “It is precisely the indispensable which we are called to give to every human person!”. (S.L.) (Agenzia Fides 21/9/2004 Righe 29; Parole 393)


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