Days after the largest-ever joint divestment announcement by faith institutions, faith leaders from across the world urged all institutions to join them on this prophetic way of working against the climate crisis.
Bishop Bill Nolan, the Lead Bishop on the Environment for the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Scotland, shared their path to divestment, including the various excuses they discarded in favor of caring for our common home by divesting from fossil fuels.
Watch the full event here
“We gradually came to realize that just supporting the status quo as it is was just not good enough. We have to move,” Bishop Nolan said during the “COP26, Fossil Fuel Divestment and a Just Transition for All” dialogue held online Thursday evening. “Now’s the time to do it. Now’s the time to make that decision.”
The Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Scotland was one of 72 faith institutions from six continents and with more than $4.2 billion of combined assets under management to commit to divestment on Tuesday.
The historic announcement came just days before the United Nations 26th Climate Change Conference begins in Glasgow on Sunday and featured 55 Catholic institutions.
But all faith institutions are called to divest “to stand in solidarity with those on the climate change frontlines who are suffering from climate change and environmental degradation,” said Rachel Mash, Environmental Coordinator for the Anglican Church of Southern Africa and Green Anglicans. “This is Africa’s kairos moment. Justice demands a transition to decentralized renewable energy controlled by the people of Africa.”
Rev. Hugh Nelson, the Bishop of St. Germans in the Diocese of Truro, said his diocese decided to divest as a way to cherish creation, cut carbon, and speak up.
Noting that the decision to divest from fossil fuels makes financial sense as well as missional sense, Rev. Nelson said: “There are, it is clear, fewer and fewer reasons for churches and dioceses not to make this move so that together, all of us who follow Jesus Christ, can better cherish creation, cut carbon, and speak up. And I hope that your journey in that direction is richly blessed.”