USCCB 2021 Guidelines
Five pillars of Catholic social teaching applied to investing.
The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops Socially Responsible Investment Guidelines (updated 2021) structure Catholic investing around five pillars: protecting human life, promoting human dignity, reducing arms, pursuing economic justice, and protecting the environment.
What it is
USCCB issued its first SRI guidelines in 1991 and updated them most recently in November 2021. The five-pillar structure replaced the older list-of-exclusions format and added explicit environmental criteria drawn from Pope Francis's encyclical Laudato Si.
Concrete exclusions
Companies involved in abortion, contraception manufacturing, embryonic stem cell research, weapons of mass destruction, anti-personnel landmines, cluster munitions, pornography distribution, racial discrimination, just-wage violations, and significant environmental harm.
Who uses it
Ave Maria Mutual Funds, Knights of Columbus Asset Management, Catholic diocesan investment offices, the Vatican Bank (IOR) for some portfolios, Catholic Charities investment offices, and most US Catholic institutional investors.
Who uses it
- Ave Maria Mutual Funds (AVMNX, AVEDX, etc.)
- Knights of Columbus Asset Management
- Catholic dioceses
- Vatican Bank (IOR)
Sources
- USCCB Socially Responsible Investment Guidelines (November 2021)
- Pope Francis encyclical Laudato Si
- Catechism of the Catholic Church paragraphs 2415-2418
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