Pope urges G8 summit to help the world's poor

CASTELGANDOLFO, Italy (Reuters) - Pope Benedict on Sunday urged a Group of Eight summit in Japan to take measures to fight poverty and hunger at a time of soaring food and oil prices.

The Pope, in his weekly Angelus blessing, asked the leaders of the world's richest nations to put the needy at the top of their agenda and make good on previous pledges to help them.

"Their vulnerability has increased today because of financial speculation and turbulence, with a perverse effect on food and energy prices," the pope said.

"I call for generosity and farsightedness to help take decisions that would relaunch an equitable development process," he said.

The G8 annual summit opens on Monday in Hokkaido, gathering the leaders of Britain, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United States and Russia.

(Reporting by Silvia Aloisi)