Catholic values in investing is an expression that, far from being an abstract concept, constitutes a guiding principle for those who wish to invest in a way that is coherent with their faith.
More and more investors are seeking to integrate ethical and Catholic criteria into their financial decisions, ensuring that their capital does not contribute to activities contrary to the Magisterium. As explained in Catholic Investing: How to Know if Your Investment Respects Your Principles, investing is never a neutral act: through the use of capital we support or reject practices and structures—an assertion fully consistent with the Social Doctrine of the Church and with principles presented in magisterial documents.
The stock market, often perceived as a purely technical environment, is in fact a space where the moral coherence of the Catholic investor becomes visible. Every share purchased, every fund selected, and every company supported expresses an ethical vision of the human person, society, and the common good. For this reason, Catholic Investing must rest on firm criteria, not on variable trends.
Why Catholic values matter in today’s stock market
The stock market is a tool for economic participation that can contribute significantly to human development. However, as Pope Francis has reiterated, when the market becomes an end in itself and prioritizes profit over the human person, a considerable moral risk arises. Ethics, therefore, cannot be a superficial add-on: it must be an internal structure of the investment process, as emphasized in the Practical Guide to Investing as a Catholic.
Catholic values in investing provide the basis for discerning whether the economic activities promoted by a company are compatible with human dignity, the protection of life, the family, and the care of creation. In this way, the Catholic investor can direct capital toward initiatives that generate real positive impact in society and contribute to the common good.
Beyond ESG: why Catholic investing requires a stronger framework
The rise of ESG investing has driven efforts to incorporate environmental and social factors into financial decision-making. However, as explained in Faithful Investing vs ESG: How Catholic Investing Goes Further, ESG criteria present significant limitations: subjectivity, inconsistencies among rating agencies, and, in some cases, approval of practices incompatible with the faith (for example, activities linked to abortion or the production of indiscriminate weapons).
Faithful Investing goes beyond environmental or governance criteria: it places the human person at the center of every economic and social decision.
Unlike the ESG framework, whose interpretation may vary over time and adapt to changing social currents, Faithful Investing relies on stable and permanent values and foundations, rooted in the Social Teaching of the Church.
Investing according to Catholic values as a form of witness
Catholic values in investing allow Christians to live their faith also in the economic sphere. With the support and guidance of the Church, ethical discernment, and professional tools such as Altum Explorer, it is fully possible to invest in the stock market without giving up moral coherence.
Mensuram Bonam offers guidance on what practical strategies Catholic investors can implement to invest in a way that is consistent with the faith:
• Exclusion Strategy: Defined as the policy to avoid ethical contradictions between an investment and the teachings of the Church by applying criteria based on those teachings, such as those contained in the Altum Investment Guidelines.
• Call to engagement: Defined as the active use of shareholder ownership to influence companies through dialogue, voting, and collaboration with other investors. Tools such as Proxy Voting facilitate the active participation of the Catholic investor.
Investing ceases to be a simple financial act and becomes a decision oriented toward the common good and Christian witness.
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