Overview
- Pope Leo visited the World Food Programme headquarters in Rome on Monday and said political choices let conflicts receive resources more readily than hungry people do.
- He denounced the 'progressive bureaucratisation of solidarity' and demanded that governments cut administrative red tape that delays deliveries of food assistance.
- The pope framed access to food as a fundamental human right rooted in human dignity and warned that hunger drives instability and migration.
- The WFP has been strained by steep funding cuts from European donors and earlier U.S. reductions, even though the United States announced a new $800 million contribution last week.
- The WFP fed about 121 million people with 15.6 billion daily rations in 2025, and the agency says higher delivery costs and regional conflicts have added operational pressure that increased funding would help relieve.