Hong Kong, October 4, 2016. Inspired by Pope Francis and in honor of September’s Season of Creation and the Feast of St Francis, the Missionary Society of St. Columban pledges to take steps to divest from fossil fuels. In addition, we commit to putting resources into Positive Impact Investing alternatives. Pope Francis is leading the way for Catholic institutions to choose a Divest – Reinvest strategy when he writes in the encyclical Laudato Si: On Care for Our Common Home, that...

Columban missionaries have recognized for decades that economic injustice is a barrier to the building of the Kingdom. Economic poverty is a form of violence against the dignity of the human person, and is inevitably linked to inequality. Economic prosperity for the few has meant more and deeper poverty for many. We see the results, especially in the lives of indigenous communities, women and children, farmers, low-paid workers, and migrants of this unfair distribution of...

Today, on Earth Day, countries around the world gather to sign the Paris Agreement on Climate Change at a ceremony at the United Nations headquarters in New York City. On December 12, 2015, nearly 200 countries officially agreed to an international climate agreement in Paris that aimed to cut global carbon emissions and keep the global temperature well below 2°C of global warming, compared to pre-industrial levels. Today, April 22, marks the first day that nations can...

With a week since Cyclone Winston hit and devastated the island nation of Fiji, reports continue to reveal the depth and breadth of the tragedy. Columban Superior General, Fr. Kevin O’Neill, offers prayers for the people and land of Fiji saying, "Our hearts ache for the suffering caused by Cyclone Winston. The images of human and environmental devastation urge responses of aid, mercy, compassion, love, and solidarity. On behalf of Columbans around the world, we extend our...