He told delegates attending the 194-nation summit to make every
effort to "eliminate the specter of hunger from the planet" or
future generations would face the consequences. "We have to
search together for solutions so that there are no longer hungry
people living side by side with people living in opulence," he
said in his French-language speech. "This contrast between
poverty and wealth is intolerable for humanity." In a clear
reference to eastern Zaire, the Pope said he felt close to
"refugees forced to leave their countries and too often left
without assistance." The 76-year-old Pope also took a swipe at
those who say that the key to food security is population
control, an issue which pitted the Vatican against the United
States in a heated battle at the U.N. population conference in
Cairo in 1994. "Demography alone does not explain the inadequate
distribution of food resources. We must put aside the sophist
view that when there are many, one is condemned to be poor," the
Pope said. "A numerous populatio