This is, for the Pope, "a very sore point", i.e. "the tragedy of hunger, that, despite having been tackled even recently by the highest institutions, such as the United Nations and particularly the FAO, remains very serious". The latest yearly report from FAO, recalled Benedict XVI, "confirmed what the Church knows very well through the hands-on experience of the communities and the missionaries: that is, that over 800 million people live in a state of under-nourishment, and too many people, especially children, are starved to death". To face this situation, "the structural causes connected with the governance of the world economy, which allocates most of the earth’s resources to a minority of the population, must certainly be eradicated". "To have a large-scale impact went on the Pope the global development model must be ‘converted’; this is dictated now not just by the scandal of famine, but also by the environmental and energy emergencies". However, commented the Holy Father, "every person and every family can and must do something to alleviate world famine, by adopting a lifestyle and a form of consumption that are compatible with the protection of Creation and with the principles of fairness towards those who cultivate the land in every country".
