Pope emphasizes right to food in address to 500 experts

[Judi Lynn]

Source: Associated Press

Pope emphasizes right to food in address to 500 experts
By COLLEEN BARRY, Associated Press | February 7, 2015 | Updated: February 7, 2015 2:37pm

MILAN (AP) — Pope Francis emphasized the right to food as fundamental in a video address Saturday to 500 experts starting work on a wide-ranging document aimed at raising awareness and proposing solutions to issues including hunger, obesity and food waste.

Francis said the paradox of abundance described by Pope John Paul II -- whereby there is food for everyone yet not everyone can eat -- continues to be an issue despite efforts by the international community.

The pope addressed a session of experts drafting the so-called Milan Charter that seeks commitments from governments, organizations and individuals during the Expo 2015 world fair to resolve such issues as ensuring food security, decreasing food waste and combatting both hunger and obesity. Italy is hosting the Expo 2015 from May 1-Oct. 31.

Francis urged the delegates to focus on resolving "the structural causes of poverty," not just emergencies, and to maintain the dignity of the individual at the heart of economic policy.
The Italian government intends the Milan charter to be the legacy of Expo 2015, increasing awareness of the universal right to a "healthy, safe and sufficient" food supply, Italian agriculture minister Maurizio Martina told the Associated Press.


Read more: http://www.chron.com/news/world/article/Pope-focuses-on-paradox-of-abundance-in-address-6068190.php

[trueblue2007]

1. WELL THIS IS RIGHT!! IF YOU DON'T EAT YOU DIE, SIMPLE AS THAT

[AtheistCrusader]

2. The WonderPope(TM) was in the news this week for some other reasons as well.

Pope backs referendum in Slovakia to deny same sex couples the right to adopt and marry.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2015/02/06/pope-slovakia-referendum_n_6630876.html

'Go ahead and beat your kids, just do it dignified-like.'
http://www.people.com/article/pope-francis-spanking-corporal-punishment-dignity


I agree with these experts, having myself been on the receiving end of a 'dignified' beating by an asshole catholic father.
http://www.latimes.com/world/europe/la-fg-popes-child-spanking-comments-spur-controversy-20150207-story.html


He talks a good game on poverty and economic inequality, but all in all, he's a regressive, right wing horror.

[Laughing Mirror]

5. That anti-gay referendum pushed by Pope just failed at voting booth

Because only 21.4% of eligible voters turned out, not enough for Slovakia's minimum of 50% of registered voters for a referendum to qualify.

Perhaps chinks are starting to appear in the mighty papal PR apparatus.

For that superstitious fraudulent organization to even attempt to talk about something like poverty in the world is beneath any sane person's level of contempt.

[Bluenorthwest]

10. Prior to his Papacy, Bergolio stridenly attacked Argentina's marriage equality vote and they also

ignored his bigoted diatribes and voted to do the right thing. They made marriage equality the law of the land in spite of he who is now called Francis saying it was a scheme launched by Satan to attack God. His verbiage was so extreme that many in mainstream politics and journalism were harshly critical of him. This is what needs to happen in other places when he revisits his anti equality materials.

[foo_bar]

9. Re: your final sentence, it's not an uncommon phenomenon outside of N. America

In practice, Christian democracy is often considered conservative on cultural, social, and moral issues (and is thus a supporter of social conservatism), while advocating a social market economy. In Europe, where Christian democrats defined their views as an alternative to the more leftist ideology of social democracy, Christian democratic parties are moderately conservative and center-right overall, whereas in the very different cultural and political environment of South America they tend to lean to the left in economical issues, and to the extreme right in social issues.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christian_democracy

For whatever reason, America's holy rollers with copious airtime generally belong to the "Jesus Was A Free Market Capitalist" school, which places certain nominal Catholics into a bind whenever their nominal leader speaks, but this isn't always the case:

The social market economy (German: Soziale Marktwirtschaft) is a form of market capitalism combined with a social policy favoring social insurance, and is sometimes classified as a coordinated market economy. The social market economy was originally promoted and implemented in West Germany by the Christian Democratic Union (CDU) under Chancellor Konrad Adenauer in 1949. Its origins can be traced to the interwar Freiburg school of economic thought.

The social market economy was designed to be a third way between laissez-faire economic liberalism and socialist economics. It was strongly inspired by ordoliberalism and the tradition of Catholic social teaching or, more generally, Christian ethics.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Social_market_economy

[YOHABLO]

3. Hmmm 'Experts' ? Francis, actions speak louder than words.

[C Moon]

4. I think too, soon he will be talking about "right to water."

[Skittles]

6. WOW he thinks everyone should be able to EAT!!!

is there no end to his AWESOMENESS!!!

[cprise]

7. Some context, courtesy of Monty Python:

'We all have the right to food along with COMPULSORY BABIES.' What a great combination!

People, especially women in Latin America, are running away from the church in droves over the latter's hostility to real reproductive rights. The church is so screwed up over reproduction and women, and this makes most of their recent charm offensives seem pretty ridiculous, as if they are parlaying to keep misogyny and squalor at the center of their religion in exchange for kind words about gays, the poor and the environment.

I don't think trying to be high-minded about either gays or the poor or the environment makes any sense if your core beliefs are misogynistic.

[Bluenorthwest]

12. Yeah he's not said anything 'high minded about gays' nor any kind words for us. That's all spin.

Francis has been a strident opponent of marriage equality and adoption rights and a constant anti gay crusader, from Argentina when he was Bergolio and continuing though his current incarnation as 'Francis'. If you read the full instead of the excerpt you will see what I mean. His boosters repeat that he said 'who am I to judge' but that was within a long diatribe against 'the gay lobby' and any form of relationship, community or organization by LGBT people. 'Who am I to judge' was said about celibate priests who are celibate homosexuals, it was not about LGBT people in general and most certainly not about same sex couples, it's about people who have no sex life, no romantic attachments without sex, no clubs, community no nothing that is 'gay'.
The fact that his boosters claim he's said 'kind words' is nothing but their own bigotry allowing them to be utterly dishonest about what he really and full said.
Homophobia is a subset of misogyny, the same creature serving the same powers and status holders.

[countmyvote4real]

8. Gosh, thank you, Pope. Let it be so.

As if this is going to change anything.

[Bluenorthwest]

11. How does he suggest we allot our time and resources? Got to fight against gay people, stop abortion

end all forms of contraception but also try to feed the hungry, whose numbers will be growing as we end contraception. And what of the sick? Since it is a sin to use a condom, HIV will continue to spread leaving more and more unable to feed themselves and their families, creating an endless supply of orphans who might also be hungry after their folks die.
It's complex. It strikes me that it might actually be best to focus all energies on the hungry, the sick, the thirsty and the poor and let the other things wait their proper turn. It strikes me that if you are aware that humans are hungry, and you spend your time calling for action on other issues you are doing something wrong.

[valerief]

13. Oh, boy, the RCC is now going to sell off its massive real estate and valuables holdings to feed the

poor. What a novelty!

[daleo]

14. Under capitalism, there is no right to food

In some cities, there is not even a right to give food to the hungry.

[MisterP]

15. DU's only for the Pill when the Pope talks about food:

if anyone else mentions the Pill it's all "we can feed 12 billion humans for centuries!"

[Arugula Latte]

16. Now pass the birth control around so people can have fewer kids and feed the ones they have.