A new initiative is taking shape in Rome that speaks directly to one of the key concerns of VIVAT International and many of its member congregations: the destructive impact of large-scale mining on communities and ecosystems. This emerging platform for mining divestment is a significant step forward in promoting justice, peace, and the integrity of creation (JPIC).
Why Divest from Mining?
Across the world, mining remains at the center of many urgent social and environmental challenges. Large-scale extractive projects often result in violations of the rights of local and Indigenous communities, land grabbing, deforestation, water contamination, violence, and the criminalization of environmental and human rights defenders. These realities are especially visible in regions such as the Amazon, the Congo Basin, and other resource-rich territories where communities bear the high cost of global demand for minerals.
Mining also deepens socio-economic inequalities, benefiting only a few while leaving lasting damage for many. While some advocate for “responsible mining,” the lived experiences of affected communities reveal how difficult it is to reconcile large-scale extraction with genuine ecological justice and human dignity.
For this reason, a growing number of Church actors and ethical investors are asking not only how mining can be regulated, but also how financial support for destructive extractive industries can be reduced.
The Rome Conference: Launching a New Platform
A recent conference in Rome brought together representatives of religious congregations, faith-based organizations, ethical banks, and JPIC networks already engaged in mining justice and ecological advocacy. Financial experts, including a representative from Steiner Bank, joined the discussions to ensure that the initiative would be both ethically grounded and financially realistic.
The goal of the gathering was clear: to establish a platform that promotes divestment from the mining sector, particularly from companies and projects associated with serious social and environmental harm.
Participants reflected on the importance of aligning Church investments with Catholic Social Teaching and the vision of Laudato Si’. Discussions focused on practical ways to review investment portfolios, identify exposure to harmful mining operations, and gradually phase out such investments. They also explored how shareholder engagement and public advocacy can place pressure on financial institutions and corporations to adopt more responsible practices.
A key message emerged strongly: meaningful change requires collective action. Rather than isolated institutions acting alone, the platform seeks to build a broad alliance capable of creating structural transformation.
An Alliance for Structural Change
The platform aims to support institutions committed to divesting from harmful mining operations while promoting alternative investment strategies that foster ecological transition and community well-being. It also seeks to strengthen public campaigns that reveal the true social and environmental costs of mining and to support communities and movements resisting destructive extractivism.
Divestment alone will not solve every problem, but it sends a strong ethical message. It redirects financial flows away from destructive industries and strengthens advocacy efforts in regions most affected by extractive violence. In this sense, divestment becomes both a financial and prophetic act.
A Space Where VIVAT Can Connect
For VIVAT International, this initiative is especially relevant. Many of its members accompany communities affected by mining across Latin America, Africa, Asia, and the Pacific. VIVAT is already engaged in advocacy at the United Nations and other international spaces on issues related to mining, climate justice, and Indigenous rights.
At the same time, many congregations are deepening their commitment to ethical finance, fossil fuel divestment, and integral ecology. This new platform offers an important opportunity to connect grassroots realities with institutional financial advocacy.
It can become a space for collaboration among VIVAT, other faith-based networks, and ethical financial actors—a place where financial decisions reflect commitments to justice, sustainability, and care for our common home.
Looking Ahead
The Rome conference was only a beginning, but it marked an important step toward a broader movement for ecological justice. As the platform grows, there is hope that more congregations and networks will join this effort and examine how their own financial structures can reflect their mission.
From parish communities to the United Nations, the struggle against destructive mining requires both advocacy and coherence. It calls for economic choices that uphold human dignity and protect creation.
The message is simple but challenging: if we truly want to confront the injustices linked to mining, we must also examine where our money is—and choose to invest in ways that protect life rather than destroy it.
This post is also available in:
Spanish
