In this newsletter: FaithInvest CEO Dr Lorna Gold has been reading Laudate Deum and reflecting on the moral imperative for taking action on the planetary crises.
And we have some great events coming up:
Monday 6 November, Rome and online: Anchoring Faith-Consistent Investments in the Experiences of Frontline Communities roundtable
Tuesday 7 November, London: Financing a Liveable Future conference
Thursday 7 December: FCI Quarterly Forum
Dr Lorna Gold on the moral imperative to 'prevent even more tragic damage'
Pope Francis has a reputation for not mincing his words. He likes to say things very plainly. His latest letter on the state of the climate crisis, Laudate Deum, is a case in point and comes just before a very contentious climate negotiation, COP28, in Dubai.
If his 2015 encyclical Laudato Si' was seen as ground-breaking and urgent – ‘our world is looking more and more like a pile of filth’ – this new letter takes urgency to a whole new level. Reading and reflecting on Laudate Deum, one cannot help be struck by the tone of voice the Pope is speaking in. It is urgent, imploring and also rather impatient – especially with his own church, in particular, in the United States.
Having outlined in detail the latest scientific consensus on climate change and what is at stake, he takes direct aim at climate deniers and conspirers within the Catholic Church: 'I feel obliged to make these clarifications, which may appear obvious, because of certain dismissive and scarcely reasonable opinions that I encounter, even within the Catholic Church' (LD, no. 14).
While Pope Francis is clearly focused on those who are actively sharing misinformation about the climate, his letter stresses that there is much more that every faith could be doing to increase efforts to tackle the crisis. As he says in Laudate Deum, 'we have scarcely time to prevent even more tragic damage' (LD no. 16).
Anchoring Faith-Consistent Investing in the Experiences of Frontline Communities – Roundtable
In-person & online: Monday 6 November
12.00-16:00 CET | 10.00-14.00 GMT | 06.00-10.00 EST | 12.45-16.45 EAT
FaithInvest is organising a roundtable in Rome, Italy, on Monday November 6, which is co-sponsored by the Catholic Impact Investing Collaborative (CIIC) and the International Union of Superiors General (UISG), and held in collaboration with the Laudato Si' Action Platform.
This will be a fantastic gathering of key Catholic thinkers and speakers on values-driven investing, and will take place in Rome, with the panel discussions live-streamed online globally.
The event will highlight the need to start from the vantage point of those most affected in order to re-balance our investment portfolios.
The roundtable will be broadcast live via Zoom, in English with Italian translation available.
On Tuesday 7 November, FaithInvest and Operation Noah are co-hosting a conference in London for church investors looking at why climate solutions are needed and how to invest in them. There are a great line-up of speakers and panels. Speakers include:
Dr Lorna Gold, FaithInvest (Keynote speaker)
Nana Francois, Opportunity International
Dr Martin Hodson, John Ray Initiative & environmental biologist
Samuel Williams, Christian Aid's Salt Business Network
Mike Sturgess, Diocese of Truro
Paul Jaffee, Church Commissioners for England
Graham Gordon, CAFOD
Lorna Stuttaford and David Marett, Society Holy Child Jesus
Mathew Jensen, FaithInvest
Sessions include:
Why invest in climate solutions?
Case study panel: Church investors in climate solutions
Making climate-aligned investing accessible for smaller institutional investors
FaithInvest's new Faithful Finance training
There are a number of complimentary or concessionary tickets available. If you're interested in attending, contact us via the button below for more information.
FaithInvest's quarterly FCI gathering: Thursday 7 December
10.00 EST, 15.00 GMT, 16.00 CET, 17.00 EAT
At our December FCI Interest Group Forum we will focus on governance for faith-based investors, with guest speaker Rev Dr Andrew Harper, Chief Responsibility Officer at Christian ethics-based investment manager Epworth Investment Management.
The Investment Solutions team posts each week on topics related to faith-consistent investing. The posts are a valuable source of comment, insights and research relevant to faith-based asset owners. To see them, click HERE.
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