Vatican Calls on Churches to Divest From Mining
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📰 The quick summary: The Vatican has launched a campaign urging Catholic and Christian organizations to divest from mining industries, aiming to better align church investments with ecological and social justice values.
📈 One key stat: In 2022, the Vatican formed an investment committee of church and outside financial experts to ensure its securities investments meet ethical Catholic criteria, a move that now gains new momentum with this divestment push.
💬 One key quote: “The big question is: Who finances this? Who provides the money to poison us?” said Yolanda Flores, a leader of the Aymara peoples in Peru, at the Vatican news conference.
1️⃣ The big picture: Mining operations around the world have long been linked to environmental damage, water pollution, and the displacement of Indigenous communities. Now, the Vatican has launched a formal campaign calling on Catholic and other Christian organizations to divest from mining industries and align their investments with the Church’s ecological teachings. Drawing inspiration from Pope Francis’ 2015 environmental encyclical ‘Praised Be,’ the initiative is led by the Churches and Mining Network, an ecumenical group active across Latin America. Beyond divestment, the campaign also focuses on sharing information with Indigenous communities about what types of extraction are happening on their lands. Last month, the Vatican bank unveiled two new ethical investment benchmarks, the Morningstar IOR Eurozone Catholic Principles and the Morningstar IOR US Catholic Principles, to guide Catholic investors globally.
2️⃣ Why is this good news: Faith-based institutions hold significant financial assets, and when they redirect those funds away from harmful industries, they send a powerful signal to markets and corporations alike. By tying investment decisions directly to social and environmental values, this campaign opens a path for churches worldwide to become active stewards of both people and planet. For Indigenous communities already suffering from the effects of mining pollution, gaining access to information about extraction on their lands is a concrete and immediate benefit. Broader adoption of ethical investment frameworks, like the ones the Vatican bank recently released, can inspire other religious and nonprofit institutions to follow suit. Ultimately, aligning the financial power of faith communities with ecological principles creates a meaningful force for reducing environmental harm at a global scale.
3️⃣ What’s next: Local churches are now encouraged to review their investment portfolios and divest from mining companies where needed. The Vatican itself has acknowledged it may need to look inward and assess whether its own holdings include mining investments. As more Catholic institutions adopt the new ethical benchmarks released by the Vatican bank, the campaign’s reach and impact are likely to grow.
Read the full story here: Mongabay – Vatican launches campaign to encourage divestment from mining industries
