Officials from more than 60 U.S. religious organizations have pledged an end to hunger within 15 years in a statement released this week. Organized by the Washington, D.C.-based advocacy organization Bread for the World, the statement is timed with the arrival of Pope Francis on his first visit to the United States.
The officials see an ally in the Pope with his calls for poverty alleviation, believing that his U.S. visit and address to the Congress could coalesce support around federal programs that they insist have been disproportionately cut following the economic recession. Private charity was briefly acknowledged as a helpful means to combat hunger, but the officials focused upon increased federal spending as essential.
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