Vatican City, 17 October 2014 (VIS) –
World Food Day, held on 16 October, was instituted in 1979 by the
United Nations Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) in order to
raise public awareness and strengthen solidarity in the fight against
hunger, malnutrition and poverty. To mark the occasion, the Holy
Father sent a message to the director general of the FAO, Jose
Graziano da Silva, extensive extracts of which are published below.
“Again this year, World Food Day
echoes the cries of our many brothers and sisters who, in many parts
of the world, do not have enough to eat each day. … Despite the
progress that is being achieved in many countries, recent data
continue to indicate a troubling situation, contributed to by the
general reduction of public development aid”.
“The theme proposed by the FAO for
this year's World Food Day – 'Family farming: feeding the world,
caring for the earth' – highlights the need to begin with people,
as individuals or in groups, to propose new forms and methods of
management for different aspects of nutrition. Specifically, it is
necessary to give greater acknowledgement of the role of the rural
family, and to develop its full potential. ... Indeed, the family
promotes dialogue between generations and provides the foundation for
a true social integration, aside from representing that hoped-for
synergy between agricultural work and sustainability; who, more than
the rural family, is concerned with preserving nature for generations
to come? And who, more than the rural family, has at heart cohesion
between people and social groups?”
“Defending rural communities from the
serious threats posed by human action or natural disasters must not
merely be a strategy but rather a form of permanent action aimed at
promoting their participation in decision-making, at making
appropriate technologies available, and extending their use, always
with respect for the natural environment. Acting in this way can
alter the methods of international cooperation and aid for the hungry
and malnourished. Never more than in this moment has the world needed
unity between people and among nations to overcome the divisions that
exist and the conflicts in progress, and above all to seek concrete
ways out of a crisis that is global, but the burden of which falls
mostly on the poor. … Think of the men and women, of every age and
condition, who are victims of bloody conflicts and their consequent
destruction and misery, the lack of housing, medical care and
education, who lose every hope of a dignified life. We have an
obligation towards these people, of solidarity and sharing”.
“To defeat hunger, it is not enough
to meet the needs of those who are unfortunate or to help through aid
and donations those who live in situations of emergency. It is
necessary, instead, to change the paradigm of aid and development
policies … It is also necessary to change how we understand work,
economic aims and activity, food production and the protection of the
environment. This is perhaps the only possibility for constructing an
authentic future of peace, threatened nowadays by insecurity in
relation to food”.
“The Catholic Church, on her part,
while pursuing her charitable activities in the different continents,
remains available to offer, enlighten and accompany both the
elaboration of policies and their concrete implementation, aware that
faith becomes visible by putting into practice God's plan for the
human family and for the world through that profound and real
fraternity that is not exclusive to Christians, but that includes all
peoples”.
No comments:
Post a Comment