Pope tells world leaders to use crisis to fight hunger

VATICAN CITY (Reuters) - Pope Benedict called on Sunday for world leaders to use the economic crisis as an opportunity to tackle rising poverty and hunger, ahead of a United Nations summit this month.

Policy-makers from around the globe will gather in New York on June 24 for a two-day U.N. summit on the financial crisis and its impact on development.

"In the spirit of wisdom and human solidarity, I urge participants at the conference ... to transform the crisis into an opportunity for greater attention to the dignity of every human and a fairer distribution of power and resources," the pope said in a weekly address to the faithful in St. Peters' square.

The pontiff, the spiritual guide of the world's 1.1 billion Catholics, called on world leaders and international institutions to take the difficult decisions necessary to ensure sufficient food and a dignified life for everyone.

"I want especially to remember the hundreds of millions of people suffering from hunger. This is an absolutely unacceptable reality," Benedict said.