Lorna Gold, Living Laudato Sí Project Coordinator with Trócaire invites all Eco-Congregation Ireland friends to attend a webinar co-convened by the Global Catholic Climate Movement, Trócaire and Focsiv and co-sponsored by Etica Sgr, L&P Investment Services, Oekom research AG and Vigeo Eiris. The webinar is entitled:
Prophetic Actions and Voices on Fossil Fuels and Climate Justice: Silent Disinvestment or Public Divestment?
September 6, 2017, 3pm GMT
Here is what Lorna writes about this event:
‘Many faithful Catholics are already responding to Laudato Si’ by moderating their consumption and embracing renewable energy technology. This is wonderful! Much much more, however, remains to be done by Church institutions to respond to Laudato Sí and ensure that we are not unwittingly supporting the very practices that are degrading our planet. In particular, how our investments are made is critical in this regard and whether we are still investing in the companies at the heart of climate injustice – namely the fossil fuel industry. Divestment from this industry is about moral consistency. Many other Christian organisations such as all the members of the World Council of Churches and the Lutheran World Federation, together with several Catholic institutions, have already taken this important step.
In this webinar, we will explore the need for public divestment from fossil fuels. With the help of experts, we will consider the importance of taking a prophetic stand in relation to the dominance of fossil fuels in the global economy. What does it mean to be a prophetic witness today, in the economic sphere? How can Catholic institutions pull together to capitalise on their joint potential? And practically speaking, how does an institution go about making a public announcement? An important contribution will be provided by Luigino Bruni, Professor of Economics at the Lumsa University (Rome) and worldwide coordinator of the Economy of Communion.
A brand new resource for Catholic Institutions – the Catholic Divest Toolkit will be presented by Dr. Lorna Gold, Trócaire. During the webinar, GCCM will explain how Catholic institutions of all shapes and sizes can jointly announce their divestment commitments together on key dates, to increase the visibility of the cause. The next Joint Catholic Divestment announcement will take place on the Feast of St Francis, October 4, 2017. You will find the full webinar programme at this link. Please register for the webinar here.’