NEW YORK — May Boeve, Executive Director of 350,org, issued the following reaction to a global group of Catholic bishops issuing a call from Lima for an end to the era of fossil fuels as the UN climate talks are underway:
“It is powerful to see so many Catholic bishops calling for an end to fossil fuels and 100% renewable energy. Their action adds moral clarity to the urgent need for action. Now, it’s time for Pope Francis to follow the bishops’ announcement with the next logical step: divesting from fossil fuels. With $8 billion under management, the Vatican bank likely has hundreds of millions invested in fossil fuel companies. If it’s wrong to wreck the planet, then it’s also wrong to profit from that wreckage. The Pope has an opportunity to build on his environmental and progressive leadership and divest the Vatican from fossil fuels.”