Sarah Silverman on feeding the hungry

Here's the excerpt from the article about Sarah Silverman's attempt at comedy regarding the Vatican selling all it's property/holdings to feed the poor.

"the "Catholic Church operates more hospitals and feeds more of the poor than any private institution in the world."

Yet the Rev. James Martin, culture editor of the Jesuit magazine America, says Silverman may be onto something. In an online article, Martin noted that Jesus himself told his followers to sell what they had and give it to the poor.

"Of course Pope Benedict XVI could not 'sell' any of the treasures of the Vatican, the same way that your local archbishop couldn't sell off the cathedral at a whim; they are not his, they are the church's," Martin wrote. "And the church is not simply the hierarchy but the entire people of God."

he added: "Still, perhaps Ms. Silverman, in her postmodern, potty-mouthed way is on to something. Like Jesus was. Sell the Vatican? Well, maybe not everything but perhaps a statue or two?"

For the record, the U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization, which just released its annual report on the state of world hunger, says global food output will have to increase by 70 percent to feed a projected population of 9.1 billion in 2050.

To achieve that, poor countries will need $44 billion in annual agricultural aid, compared with the current $7.9 billion, the Rome-based FAO said. Overall, an annual net investment in agriculture of $83 billion is needed to feed the world.

Even if the pope were to sell the Vatican, it wouldn't be enough.

In 2004, the Vatican disclosed that the Holy See's real estate was worth 700 million euros, or about $908 million at the time. That doesn't include St. Peter's Basilica and the Sistine Chapel, which the Vatican termed priceless and valued at a symbolic 1 euro.

It would fetch a pretty penny, lol. How many pretty pennies are there in 1 euro?

I have to admit that the above statistics don't make sense to me or sit well with me. I don't believe a global population of 3 billion MORE people (from the 6ish or so now) would require 70% more output. In fact, with the amount of waste, I wonder if the 3B could be fed on current expenditure. If humanity were to go vegetarian, for example, how much would THAT save? Or, if seaweed, and peanut butter or what have you...inexpensive diets can be designed to meet the nutritional requirements of the world, no? If all the american land that was devoted to front lawns, for example, or the lack of -such as the japanese- modern urban gardening, were switched to food, that would help a bunch. Is the Vatican buying into these stats, or what? 70% more output, REALLY?? How hard might this be, with modified seeds and advanced biology, etc. Also, does the church have a better view of 2050 than anyone else? They have the Holy See, after all, whatever that is.