Pontiff, UN agency president discuss assistance to poor farmers
January 16, 2026
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CWN Editor's Note: Following a papal audience yesterday, the president of the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) said that he and Pope Leo XIV discussed “our shared conviction that dignity, hope and economic opportunities for the most vulnerable communities is more important than ever.”
“2026 is a very important year for dialogue, and multilateralism,” said Álvaro Lario, who leads the UN agency that assists poor rural farmers. “Leaders, such as Pope Leo XIV, give us hope that addressing the economic roots of instability and forced migration is the way forward to support livelihoods despite an ever increasing number of fragile and conflict-affected contexts in the world.”
Lario subsequently discussed IFAD’s work in an interview with Vatican News.
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