Pope Francis Speaks at Second International Conference on Nutrition (CIN2) in Rome

 

Pope Francis has warned that planet earth could face a doomsday scenario if the world does not stop abusing its resources for profit

The pontiff warned that nature would exact revenge, and urged the world's leaders to rein in their greed and help the hungry.

He told the Second International Conference on Nutrition (CIN2) in Rome: 'God always forgives, but the earth does not. 

'Take care of the earth so it does not respond with destruction.' 

The three-day meeting aimed at tackling malnutrition, and included representatives from 190 countries. 

It was organised by the UN food agency (FAO) and World Health Organization (WHO) in Rome,Italy

While the number of undernourished people dropped by over half in the past two decades, 805 million people were still affected in 2014.

'It is also painful to see the struggle against hunger and malnutrition hindered by 'market priorities', the 'primacy of profit', which reduce foodstuffs to a commodity like any other, subject to speculation and financial speculation in particular,' Pope Francis said.

'Feed the hungry, save life on the planet,' Francis said at the end of his speech which was met with a standing ovation.

The declaration focuses on improving access to healthy food but also the growing problem of inactive over-eaters.

Two billion people suffer from deficiencies in nutrients such as vitamin A, iron and zinc - a condition known as 'hidden hunger' by experts - while 42 million children and 500 million adults are overweight or obese

The Second International Conference on Nutrition (ICN2) is an inclusive inter-governmental meeting on nutrition jointly organized by the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and the World Health Organisation(WHO)
 The two main outcome documents of the conference are the Rome Declaration on Nutrition : a political commitment document, and the Framework for Action: a technical guide for implementation.