Vatican Calls on Catholics to Divest from Fossil Fuels
by Rebecca Beitsch (The Hill) The Vatican on Thursday urged Catholics to divest from fossil fuels, a call made in church documents warning against the dangers of climate change. The 225-page encyclical, which is sent to all bishops within the church, also encouraged divesting from arms and monitoring sectors like mining to ensure they are not damaging the environment.
The document, “Journeying Towards Care For Our Common Home,” argues people “could favor positive changes … by excluding from their investments companies that do not satisfy certain parameters,” according to Reuters.
That includes environmental factors, along with monitoring for human rights abuses like child labor.
It goes on to suggest that Catholics “shun companies that are harmful to human or social ecology, such as abortion and armaments, and to the environment, such as fossil fuels.”
Pope Francis has repeatedly urged action on climate change, calling on countries to uphold the Paris climate accord and admonishing oil and gas executives. READ MORE
Vatican urges Catholics to drop investments in fossil fuels, arms (Reuters)
NYC pension funds to divest $4 billion from fossil fuels (Associated Press)
