via CNS:

At a time of technological and scientific progress, “we ought to feel shame” for not having advanced in “humanity and solidarity” enough to feed the world’s poor, Pope Francis said. “Neither can we console ourselves simply for having faced emergencies and desperate situations of those most in need. We are all called to go further. We can and we must do better for the helpless,” the pope said in a message to world leaders attending a meeting of the U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization in Rome….

The pope called for policies of cooperation for development that are oriented toward meeting the real needs of the people: “The struggle against hunger urgently demands generous financing, the abolition of trade barriers and, above all, greater resilience in the face of climate change, economic crises and warfare,” he said. While one can dream of a future without hunger, the pope said it is only reasonable to do so “when we engage in tangible processes, vital relations, effective plans and real commitments.”…

“We overlook the structural aspects that shroud the tragedy of hunger: extreme inequality, poor distribution of the world’s resources, consequences of climate change and the interminable and bloody conflicts which ravage many regions,” he said. “Some may say that we still have 12 years ahead in which to carry this out” to meet the 2030 goal, the pope acknowledged. But “the poor cannot wait. Their devastating circumstances do not allow this.”