Platform for Mining Divestment

From March 19–22, a landmark gathering in Rome marked a paradigm shift in how faith-based institutions understand their relationship with the earth and the global financial system. The launch of the “Platform for Divestment in Mining” marks a milestone in the global effort to align religious investments with the values of the Gospel and the urgent calls of Pope Francis’s encyclical, Laudato Si’. Organized by the ecumenical Churches and Mining (Iglesias y Minería) Network in collaboration with over 40 organizations, the platform is a direct response to the “cry of the earth and the cry of the poor.”

Since its founding in 2013, the Churches and Mining Network has accompanied communities resisting an economic model defined by predatory extractivism that views the earth solely as a resource to be plundered for profit.

The launch of the divestment platform is grounded in the Laudato Si’ concept of “integral ecology,” which reminds us that we are not faced with two separate crises—one environmental and one social—but rather one complex crisis which is both social and environmental. By targeting the financial lifeblood of the mining industry, the platform seeks to protect human dignity and the sanctity of creation. It is rooted in a growing reality of “martyred territories,” regions where the extraction of wealth has left behind a trail of devastation, making divestment a moral imperative.

The platform responds to the devastation that many mining companies have created through their irresponsible practices. This is manifested by:

• Lost lives: Mining disasters, such as the collapse of tailings dams like the Brumadinho disaster in Brazil, have led to the deaths of hundreds of innocent people. Beyond accidents, defending the land has become a deadly vocation; in 2024 alone, at least 146 land and environmental defenders were murdered or disappeared globally—82% of them in Latin America—for resisting extractivist projects.
• Loss of ecosystems and biodiversity: Irresponsible mining, often involving massive deforestation, triggers ecosystem collapse and rapid biodiversity loss that can take centuries to recover.
• Destruction of safe water: In mining zones, vital water sources are systematically depleted or contaminated with heavy metals. For local families, this means a total loss of clean water and a rise in respiratory illnesses, skin irritations, and long-term reproductive health issues for women.
• Violation of human rights: Governments frequently grant mining concessions to multinational corporations without the “free, prior, and informed consent” of local and Indigenous populations, a direct violation of international human rights standards

The platform’s urgency is heightened by a shifting global landscape. By 2026, the global power struggle has moved from fossil fuels to a frantic race for minerals needed for renewable energy. The demand for minerals like lithium, cobalt, and copper—essential for electric vehicles and renewable energy—risks driving a new wave of extractivism in the Global South.

The platform identifies the military-industrial complex as a key driver of the demand for minerals. The platform challenges faith-based investors to ask: Are our resources unintentionally fueling the machinery of war and the destruction of the very communities we serve?

The platform’s launch featured powerful testimonies that framed divestment not as a financial trend, but as an act of faith. Yolanda Flores, an Aymara leader from Peru, who works with the Maryknoll-sponsored organization DHUMA (Human Rights and Environment), spoke of the “daily fear” mothers face as their children are exposed to toxic runoff from mines. Her plea was simple yet profound: “We need to know who is funding our destruction.”

Cardinal Fabio Baggio, an ecclesial leader at the Vatican press conference, reinforced this moral clarity, arguing that “silence is no longer an option” and divestment is an “act of coherence with faith.” The Church must ensure its own financial decisions do not crush the most vulnerable.

Supported by a broad coalition—including CIDSE, the World Council of Churches, Caritas Internationalis, EcoJesuits, and Pax Christi International—the platform has established three primary pillars for immediate action:

• Information Exchange: Establishing a transparent flow of data between the Global North and South regarding the financial institutions fueling exploitation.
• Financial Scrutiny: Providing tools for religious institutions to audit their portfolios, ensuring they are not financing “social or environmental crimes.”
• Policy Reform: Moving beyond voluntary ethical codes to demand rigorous legal protections for vulnerable populations.

The Platform for Divestment in Mining invites the global religious community to practice a prophetic leadership that values life over capital. Looking towards a future defined by the transition to clean energy sources is an invitation to align wallets with gospel values.

Photo: Yolanda Flores, from Derechos Humans y Medio Ambiente (DHUMA), at Platform for Divestment from Mining. DHUMA is a Maryknoll-founded and funded legal defense program supporting the human and environmental rights of Indigenous communities in Peru’s Altiplano.