Pope Francis Denounces Exploitation of Food as ‘Weapon’ of War

ROME — Pope Francis once more condemned the war in Ukraine Sunday, especially the exploitation of food as a weapon of war.

“Let us also see the faces of our Ukrainian brothers and sisters who are experiencing this Christmas in the dark and cold, far from their homes due to the devastation caused by ten months of war,” the pontiff urged in his yearly Christmas blessing offered in Saint Peter’s Square.

Every day, many go hungry, including little children, “while huge amounts of food daily go to waste and resources are being spent on weapons,” the pope lamented.

“The war in Ukraine has further aggravated this situation, putting entire peoples at risk of famine, especially in Afghanistan and in the countries of the Horn of Africa,” he said, since Ukraine is a major exporter of grain, wheat, seed oils, and other foodstuffs.

“We know that every war causes hunger and exploits food as a weapon, hindering its distribution to people already suffering,” he continued. “On this day, let us learn from the Prince of Peace and, starting with those who hold political responsibilities, commit ourselves to making food solely an instrument of peace.”

And as we enjoy gathering with our loved ones, “let us think of families that experience great hardship and those that, in this time of economic crisis, are struggling as a result of unemployment and lacking in the necessities of life,” he added.

The pope also asked God to “inspire us to offer concrete gestures of solidarity to assist all those who are suffering, and may he enlighten the minds of those who have the power to silence the thunder of weapons and put an immediate end to this senseless war!”

Our time is experiencing a grave “famine of peace,” Francis said, which is not limited to Ukraine but extends to Syria, the Holy Land, Lebanon, Yemen, the Sahel, and “the Americas,” especially Haiti.

Conspicuous by their absence in the pope’s address were any mention of Nicaragua, suffering under the harsh dictatorship of Daniel Ortega, who has been holding prisoner Bishop Rolando Álvarez since last August, and the situation of over one million Uyghur Muslims held in concentration camps in the Xinjiang region of China.

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