Rome, 16 Oct. (LaPresse) – Bread must not become a tool of geopolitical pressure, nor a weapon of war, nor a commodity subject to financial speculation. This is the warning issued by Pope Leo XIV in a message sent to the Director-General of the FAO, Qu Dongyu, on the occasion of World Food Day 2026, dedicated to the theme ‘Innovate today to feed tomorrow’. The Pontiff asserts that hunger is not an inevitable anomaly, but stems above all from a lack of political will and solidarity. Ensuring safe and sufficient food for all, he emphasises, is a fundamental human right and an obligation of justice for states and the international community. Leo XIV also highlights the risks posed by speculation on cereals and seed monopolies, which penalise small-scale farms. Innovation, he states, must combine technology with farmers’ traditional knowledge, whilst also safeguarding water as a common good. This is a call to move beyond the logic of immediate profit in order to guarantee food and resources for future generations.
Pope Leo XIV: “Bread must not be a weapon of war nor a commodity for speculation”
Rome, 16 Oct. (LaPresse) – Bread must not become a tool of geopolitical pressure, nor a weapon of war, nor a commodity subject to financial speculation. This is the warning issued by Pope Leo XIV in a message sent to the Director-General of the FAO, Qu Dongyu, on the occasion of World Food Day 2026, dedicated to the theme ‘Innovate today to feed tomorrow’. The Pontiff asserts that hunger is not an inevitable anomaly, but stems above all from a lack of political will and solidarity. Ensuring safe and sufficient food for all, he emphasises, is a fundamental human right and an obligation of justice for states and the international community. Leo XIV also highlights the risks posed by speculation on cereals and seed monopolies, which penalise small-scale farms. Innovation, he states, must combine technology with farmers’ traditional knowledge, whilst also safeguarding water as a common good. This is a call to move beyond the logic of immediate profit in order to guarantee food and resources for future generations.