US Catholic fossil fuel investments at odds with pope's climate push
by Reuters from on (#H5E4)
US Catholic organisations have millions invested in oil, coal and gas but so far few dioceses have reviewed their finances in response to Pope Francis's encyclical on climate change
Pope Francis heartened environmentalists around the world in June when he urged immediate action to save the planet from the effects of climate change, declaring that the use of "highly polluting fossil fuels needs to be progressively replaced without delay".
But some of the largest US Catholic organisations have millions of dollars invested in energy companies, from hydraulic fracturing firms to oil sands producers, according to their own disclosures, through many portfolios intended to fund church operations and pay clergy salaries.
