Pope Leo XIV on Monday criticised what he described as the “progressive bureaucratisation of solidarity” that slows down humanitarian assistance to hungry populations worldwide, even as weapons continue to circulate freely and intensify conflicts.
During a visit to the headquarters of the World Food Programme in Rome, the Pope urged the international community “to increase the resources dedicated to combating hunger and its root causes, and to remove the obstacles that prevent aid from reaching those in need”.
He lamented that humanitarian needs are frequently sidelined despite repeated global commitments to reduce suffering.
“It is precisely within the gap between acknowledgement in principle and prioritisation in practice that we witness the progressive bureaucratisation of solidarity alongside the quiet commodification of human life,” Leo said.
“On one hand, humanitarian action is increasingly burdened by bureaucratic procedures that can delay assistance.
“On the other hand, access to essential goods, including food, is too often influenced by economic or strategic considerations,” he said.
“As a result, those who do not generate quantifiable value risk becoming invisible,” he added.
The 70-year-old pontiff further argued that while aid delivery and development efforts face increasing barriers, the flow of weapons remains largely unrestricted.
“In effect, conflicts are ‘fed’ more readily than people are nourished,” he said, describing what he called “a fundamental imbalance in political and moral priorities.”
Leo called on governments and global stakeholders to boost support for hunger relief efforts, including the UN’s World Food Programme, which assisted 121 million people in 2025.
The WFP has faced significant funding reductions from Europe and the United States in recent years.
These cuts, officials say, have come at a time when global crises are multiplying, including the war in the Middle East, which has complicated logistics and driven up the cost of delivering aid across multiple regions.
