UK: Catholic Dioceses of Middlesbrough and Lancaster to divest from fossil fuels

Two English dioceses (Middlesbrough and Lancaster), two Catholic religious orders (the English Provinces of the Congregation of Jesus and the Presentation Sisters), alongside nine other local churches and Christian institutions in the UK will divest from fossil fuels. The announcement was made on the website of the Bishops’ Conference which also explains that these are the first two English dioceses to do so; they join a global movement that brings together over 160 Catholic institutions. “The evidence and the urgency of the climate crisis are all around us”, said Bishop Terry Drainey of Middlesbrough. “With growing awareness of people’s concerns for the care of our common home, supported by the trustees and Council of Priests, the Diocese has decided that now is the time to divest from fossil fuels”. “Nothing will succeed - he explained, citing Pope Francis - if we do not begin with personal conversion, a change in lifestyle, a change of mindset”. “The announcement was made at the start of a key year for climate action globally”, the statement on the Bishops’ Conference website reads, “and particularly in the UK, with the COP26 conference to be held in Glasgow in November”.
Marco Calvarese