Pope Leo XIV has criticised what he described as the “progressive bureaucratisation of solidarity” that slows humanitarian assistance to people facing hunger, while weapons continue to move freely and fuel conflicts around the world.

The Pope made the remarks on Monday during a visit to the headquarters of the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) in Rome, where he called on the international community to increase funding for the fight against hunger and address the root causes of food insecurity.

Leo urged governments and global organisations to remove barriers preventing aid from reaching vulnerable populations, warning that humanitarian concerns are often overshadowed by political and economic interests despite repeated commitments to easing human 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,” the pontiff said.

He noted that humanitarian operations are increasingly affected by complex administrative procedures that delay urgent assistance, while access to essential resources such as food is sometimes influenced by strategic or economic considerations.

“Those who do not generate quantifiable value risk becoming invisible,” he added.
The 70-year-old Pope also condemned what he described as an imbalance in global priorities, saying conflicts receive faster support than efforts to provide food and relief.

“In effect, conflicts are ‘fed’ more readily than people are nourished,” Leo said, describing the situation as a reflection of a “fundamental imbalance in political and moral priorities.”

He called for increased resources for organisations working to combat hunger, including the WFP, which provided assistance to 121 million people in 2025.

The WFP has warned that it has been severely affected by major funding reductions from some international donors, including European and United States sources, at a time when humanitarian needs are rising due to conflicts, including the war in the Middle East, which has increased logistical challenges and aid delivery costs.