WHEAT CAN’T BE ‘WEAPON OF WAR’, POPE FRANCIS SAYS

Wed 01 June 2022:

On Wednesday, Pope Francis urged authorities to relax a ban on wheat exports from Ukraine, saying the grain could not be used as a “weapon of war.”

Many millions of people rely on wheat from Ukraine, notably in the world’s poorest countries, the pope told a crowd of thousands assembled in St. Peter’s Square, demanding for the blockade to be lifted.

The UN, which claims a worldwide food crisis is deepening, is attempting to broker a deal to unblock Ukraine’s grain exports, despite Western politicians accusing Russia of holding the world hostage by blocking Ukrainian ports.

“The blocking of exports of wheat from Ukraine is very worrying because the lives of millions of people depend on it, especially in poorer countries,” the pope said.

“I make a heartfelt appeal so that every effort is made to resolve this problem, to guarantee the universal right to nutrition. Please! Do not use wheat, a basic foodstuff, as a weapon of war,” he added, to applause from the crowd.

Aside from the death and destruction caused by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, the war and the West’s attempt to punish Russia by isolating it has driven up the price of grain, cooking oil, fertilizer, and energy, harmed global growth.

The pope has repeatedly condemned the invasion and the resulting bloodshed, which Moscow refers to as a “special military operation.”

But it was the first time he discussed the global food situation in detail on Wednesday.

Ukraine is desperately trying to transfer its large grain stocks by road, river, and train to help avert the crisis, but an agriculture official stated last week that it has no hope of meeting its goals unless Russia removes its blockade of the Black Sea ports.

SOURCE: INDEPENDENT PRESS AND NEWS AGENCIES

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