In an article published in the Telegraph, the Diocese of Westminster has joined other Christian voices in calling for investment activities 'consistent with the health, sustainability, and resilience of environmental and social systems.'
This framing has been developed with partners including the Church of England's Ethical Investment Advisory Group and the Church Investors Group, and emphasises bringing 'a moral vocabulary into rooms that might otherwise suffer from bureaucratic indifference.'
While recognising that Church investors cannot dicate terms to multinational corporations or prevent all harm, it is still possible, in the words of the Vatican's 2022 document Mensuram Bonam, practice 'coherence between faith and financial choices', contributing to the creation of a 'more just and sustainable world'.
As documented in its most recent Annual Report and Accounts, the Diocese of Westminster implements a three-tier approach to its investment policy:
Engage: The diocese, through its investment advisors and peer network, proactively engages with companies to promote shareholder initiatives through proxy voting or direct contact with specific members of company management.
Exclude: To preserve the dignity and sanctity of life, the
diocese exclude from its investment portfolio companies that: profit from abortion; manufacture contraceptives or make significant revenue from the distribution of contraception; are involved with embryonic stem cell research, foetal tissue research, or human cloning; engage in arms production; manufacture tobacco products or make significant revenue from the distribution of tobacco; have revenue greater than 3% from the production or distribution of pornography.
Enhance: The diocese focuses investment on companies that offer positive social investment. For example, since 2021, the diocese only invests in utility and fossil fuel companies that have taken steps to manage their business in line with energy scenarios that limit temperature rises to well below two degrees Celsius above pre- industrial times. As of 2024, 4.4% of the portfolio was invested directly in renewable energy.
