Pope Leo on Monday accused world leaders of "feeding" wars instead of the hungry, declaring global priorities "badly skewed".
The pontiff, who has been outspoken on political issues in recent months, said governments should increase spending on combating hunger and avoid subjecting food aid to geopolitical limits.
"Conflicts are 'fed' more readily than people are nourished," the first US pope said during his visit to the World Food Programme (WFP) headquarters.
He said this "reflects not only operational shortcomings but also a fundamental imbalance in political and moral priorities." Leo, who drew President Donald Trump's ire earlier this year after criticising the Iran war, did not mention any specific leaders.
The WFP is the largest provider of food aid worldwide. Its biggest donor is the US, which announced a new $800 million contribution last week, following earlier cuts by President Donald Trump that more than halved planned US funding.
After his address, Pope Leo held a virtual call with WFP workers in several countries, including Venezuela and Lebanon. He lamented that humanitarian crises globally are being relegated to a "secondary place among international priorities".
He criticised countries for "increasingly allocated their resources towards national security, economic growth and domestic stability, disregarding the close link between these issues and multilateral cooperation".
Cindy McCain, who resigned as the agency's director earlier this year for health reasons, welcomed Leo to the WFP.
The organisation warned last week that acute food insecurity would worsen for millions across 13 countries between June and November, due to conflict, funding shortages, and climate shocks. Receiving no direct UN funding, the WFP is seeking $13 billion in donations for 2026.
Pope Leo asserted that access to food is "a fundamental human right grounded in the dignity of every person". He concluded that alleviating hunger not only assists those in need but also tackles the underlying causes of geopolitical instability, saying: "Food security is an essential component of global and integral security."
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