Vatican City.– Pope Francis today asked those attending the Conference of the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) that the projects promoted respect local communities and avoid falling into an “ideological colonization”.
“We must be very careful and respectful of local communities, of cultural diversity and traditional specificities, which cannot be altered or destroyed in the name of a myopic idea of progress that, in reality, risks becoming synonymous with ‘colonization’. ideological’”, assured the Pontiff in a letter released by the Holy See.
Francis stressed that “interventions and projects must be planned and executed by meeting the clamor of people and their communities”
“They cannot be imposed from above or from instances that only seek their own interest or profit,” he said.
For this reason, the Pope indicated that “FAO and other international organizations” will only be able to fulfill their mandate “for the benefit of all, especially the poorest, thanks to a loyal synergy and thought of by consensus and with high vision on the part of of all interested parties.
“Governments, companies, academia, international institutions, civil society and individuals must make a joint effort, putting aside petty logic and biased visions, so that everyone benefits and no one is left behind,” he said.
In the letter, Francis recalled, as he usually does in his petitions, that “millions of people continue to suffer misery and malnutrition in the world, due to armed conflicts, as well as climate change and the resulting natural disasters.”
He also congratulated FAO Director-General Qu Dongyu of China, who was re-elected for a second term on Sunday with 90 percent of the vote.
The Argentine pontiff encouraged him “to continue his work, at a time when determined and competent action is unavoidable to eradicate the plague of hunger in the world, which is advancing instead of regressing.”
