How are you?
Good, very good.
Qu Dongyu was elected Director-General of the FAO in June. He's a biologist from China who at the moment of his election was the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Affairs.
This is his first private encounter with Pope Francis, although this may not be the last time, as the pope has visited the Food and Agriculture Organization for the United Nations in Rome often.
As a gift, the pope gave him this sculpture with the phrase, “Be messengers of peace,” and the joint declaration on human fraternity that he signed in the United Arab Emirates with the Imam of al-Azhar.
This is the document I signed with the Muslims.
I was governor in a Muslim province. I lived there seven and a half years.
Pope Francis also gave him a signed copy of his message of peace for this year.
Qu Dongyu said goodbye with a statement of intent.
I will try my best and the rest of my life I will use my commitment, I will sacrifice myself for the poor people to get them out of poverty.
The current director of FAO will stay in office until 2023.
The organization has recently launched a 7.1 million dollar program to combat climate change. It wants to help developing countries monitor the state of their forests and land better.
Javier Romero
Translated: Rachel Dobrzynski
