Hunger and Conflict Resource

Since the 1960s, the Catholic Church has shifted from just war theory to strongly condemning war due to its destructive impact, especially on human rights and hunger. Popes from John XXIII to Francis have emphasized that peace is essential for the common good, with Francis declaring war as a failure of politics and humanity.

Conflict devastates food systems, displacing people and causing widespread hunger, as seen in places like Gaza, Ukraine, Haiti, and Africa. Catholic teaching calls for solidarity with the suffering and promotes peacemaking as the solution to conflict and hunger, following Christ’s call to feed the hungry and pursue justice.

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Conflict Breeds Hunger

Wars and conflicts have always destroyed human life on battlefields, but “destruction of food resources can sometimes create more catastrophic harm than bombs and bullets.” Conflict negatively affects entire food systems and severely limits access to adequate diets. In war, deliberate or accidental destruction of food supplies, farmlands, livestock, and civilian infrastructures can all cause food shortages, threatening the survival of entire populations. The distribution of food supplies can be used as a weapon of war. Conflicts can displace large numbers of people who become refugees, vulnerable to acute food insecurity and hunger. All of these problems are obvious in the world’s current conflict zones: today, millions of people are impacted by conflict and are in desperate need of food and other humanitarian aid.