The Vatican has announced a new international project encouraging faith-based institutions to disinvest from the mining sector, marking a rare move by the Catholic Church to steer investments away from a specific industry.

The initiative, launched with the support of senior Church leaders and around 40 other faith organisations, seeks to pressure mining companies to prioritise fair treatment of workers and protection of local environments. Companies failing to meet these standards risk losing investment from Church-affiliated funds.

“In many regions of the world, the expansion of the mining industry has generated profound social tensions and serious environmental impacts,” Cardinal Fabio Baggio, a Vatican official, said at the press conference unveiling the initiative. He described the effort as “an act of consistency with our faith [and] with the defence of human dignity.”

Pope Francis, who passed away last year, frequently spoke out during his 12-year papacy about the need for mining companies to adopt more ethical business practices. While the Vatican has previously urged Catholics to divest from the armaments and fossil fuel industries, this is the first time it has launched a formal disinvestment drive targeting mining.

The move comes as Catholic bishops from Africa, Asia, and Latin America have called on governments worldwide to adopt a global treaty to end fossil fuel expansion and guide a just transition to renewable energy.