Speaking today at the world summit on food security, Benedict XVI says that we need to abandon the logic of profit as an end in itself, of considering aid of "functional" to the recipients, and instead apply the principle of subsidiarity and justice. Environmental protection requires a change in lifestyle.

Rome (AsiaNews) - The Earth is able to feed all its inhabitants, now and in the future, but hunger, "the most cruel and concrete sign of poverty," still exists. Victory over hunger requires that essential international cooperation is based on the recognition of belonging to the human family: leading on from this the abandonment of the logic of pure profit in international trade, which defines the attitude that considers aid or emergencies " functional to those who make available the resources, or elite groups present among the beneficiaries" and instead apply the principle of subsidiarity, which takes into account the needs of the needy and under which the affected community is made responsible for choices and decisions. This is the path that Benedict XVI outlined today to the international community attending the World Summit on Food Security (Rome, 16-18 November 2009) .

 

Beyond the possible initiatives, for the Pope, in the end it comes down to "recognizing the transcendent value of every man and every woman": this "is still the first step towards the conversion of heart that underpins the commitment to eradicate deprivation, hunger and poverty in all their forms"   Welcomed to the Rome headquarters by the Director-General of FAO, Jacques Diouf (pictured), and the Secretary General of the United Nations, Ban Ki-moon, Benedict XVI first praised FAO because, thanks to its work, "the development of agriculture and food security remain among the key priorities of international political action".

From" data," he remarked, "we may deduce that there is no cause-and-effect relationship between population growth and hunger, and this is further demonstrated by the lamentable destruction of foodstuffs for economic gain".  What is lacking, as mentioned already in the Caritas in Veritate is the ability to tackle food insecurity “within a long-term perspective, eliminating the structural causes that give rise to it and promoting the agricultural development of poorer countries". "Hence - he added - the need to oppose those forms of aid that do grave damage to the agricultural sector, those approaches to food production that are geared solely towards consumption and lack a wider perspective, and especially greed, which causes speculation to rear its head even in the marketing of cereals, as if food were to be treated just like any other commodity".  

"With regard to countries that are in need of external support, the international community has the duty to assist with the instruments of cooperation, assuming collective responsibility for their development, “through the solidarity of … presence, supervision, training and respect” (ibid., 47).  Within this overall context of responsibility, every country has the right to define its own economic model, taking steps to secure its freedom to choose its own objectives.  In this way, cooperation must become an effective instrument, unbeholden to interests that can absorb a not insignificant part of the resources destined for development". The "path of solidarity for development" can become "a way of resolving the global crisis. Support given to these nations through financial plans inspired by solidarity, enabling them to provide for their own requirements of consumption and development, not only favours their internal economic growth, but can have a positive impact on integral human development in other countries".  

It is not acceptable "the tendency to view hunger as structural, an integral part of the socio-political situation of the weakest countries, a matter of resigned regret, if not downright indifference." Instead, "To fight and conquer hunger it is essential to start redefining the concepts and principles that have hitherto governed international relations, in such a way as to answer the question: what can direct the attention and the consequent conduct of States towards the needs of the poorest?  The response must be sought not in the technical aspects of cooperation, but in the principles that lie behind it:  only in the name of common membership of the worldwide human family can every people and therefore every country be asked to practise solidarity, that is, to shoulder the burden of concrete responsibilities in meeting the needs of others, so as to favour the genuine sharing of goods, founded on love".    

Nevertheless, while it is true that human solidarity inspired by love goes beyond justice – because to love is to give, to offer what is “mine” to the other – it is never without justice, which leads us to give the other what is “his”, what belongs to him by virtue of his being and acting”.  “If the aim is to eliminate hunger, international action is needed not only to promote balanced and sustainable economic growth and political stability, but also to seek out new parameters – primarily ethical but also juridical and economic ones – capable of inspiring the degree of cooperation required to build a relationship of parity between countries at different stages of development.  This, as well as closing the existing gap, could favour the capacity of each people to consider itself an active player, thereby confirming that the fundamental equality of all peoples is rooted in the common origin of the human family, the source of those principles of “natural law” that should inspire political, juridical and economic choices and approaches in international life (cf. ibid., 59). 

In this context, the reflection of the Pope touched on two other aspects, the need to understand the needs of the rural world and the environment. For the first, "any tendency towards a short-sighted view of the rural world as a thing of secondary importance must be avoided.  At the same time, access to international markets must be favoured for those products coming from the poorest areas, which today are often relegated to the margins.  In order to achieve these objectives, it is necessary to separate the rules of international trade from the logic of profit viewed as an end in itself, directing them towards the support of economic initiative in countries with greater need of development; once they have greater income at their disposal, these countries will be able to advance towards the self-sufficiency that leads to food security". 

"Methods of food production likewise demand attentive analysis of the relationship between development and protection of the environment ". "While the entire human race is called to acknowledge its obligations to future generations, it is also true that States and international organizations have a duty to protect the environment as a shared good". In this context, further study is needed into the interactions between environmental security and the "worrying phenomenon of climate change." "Norms, legislation, development plans and investments are not enough, however: what is needed is a change in the lifestyles of individuals and communities, in habits of consumption and in perceptions of what is genuinely needed.  Most of all, there is a moral duty to distinguish between good and evil in human action, so as to rediscover the bond of communion that unites the human person and creation”.  The crucial problem is the overall moral state of society. Therefore, “our duties towards the environment are linked to our duties towards the human person, considered in himself and in relation to others.  It would be wrong to uphold one set of duties while trampling on the other.  Herein lies a grave contradiction in our mentality and practice today: one which demeans the person, disrupts the environment and damages society”.

 

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