One key question: If I try to invest ethically, am I shortchanging myself when a crunch comes?

Believe it or not, investing for profit can be considered a Catholic virtue.

The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops makes this clear in its principles for its own investments, published last November, which also serves a guide to socially responsible investing for us all.

Church leaders "should exercise responsible financial stewardship over its economic resources," the bishops write.

"In practical fiscal terms, this means obtaining a reasonable rate of return on investments."

In other words: You can't do any good if you torch your money on bad investments. The point of investing, the bishops say, is (in the words of investing gurus and commercials) to keep our money working hard for us.

You can't do any good if you torch your money on bad investments.

To be sure, the desire for profit should be balanced with the common good.

"Decisions about the use of capital have moral implications," the bishops write, especially for the weak and vulnerable. So they call for investments "that promote community development" or "produce some truly significant social good," even when these investments "may result in a lower rate of return."

Similarly, when Pope Francis calls business a "noble vocation," he is talking about business as a way for humans to interact constructively and healthily.

"Business abilities, which are a gift from God, should always be clearly directed to the development of others and to eliminating poverty, especially through the creation of diversified work opportunities," he writes in "Fratelli Tutti."

In its desire for ethical investing that also delivers "reasonable" returns, the church is close to the movement for ethical investing—often referred to E.S.G., short for environmental, social and governance investing.

In practice, what this means is investing in things like electric cars and renewable energy instead of carbon-emitting companies; employers that pay $20 an hour instead of $10; and firms that hire as many women as men for top boardroom jobs.

The Catholic version of E.S.G. also includes prohibitions against investing in pharmaceutical firms that use human embryos for research or hospital chains that offer abortions.

E.S.G. assets are expected to top $50 trillion by 2025, representing over a third of the over $140 trillion in global assets under investment.

But the traditional definition of E.S.G., focused on the environment and treatment of workers, might be too narrow.

It is also important, the bishops write, to look at "investment funds aimed at satisfying basic needs associated with agriculture, access to water, adequate housing and reasonable prices, as well as with primary health care and educational services."

Along those lines, another way to think about ethical investing is to look for companies that provide services that are elemental to everyday life—and that, not incidentally, survive almost every economic downturn.

A rule of thumb for cautious investing that is also ethical investing is simply to consider what people always need.

"There are some goods where demand is constant regardless of the economy," says Mario DiFiore, the director of student investment funds at Fordham's business school.

"We always need to get our groceries."

By contrast, demand for vacation rentals, tickets to "Hamilton" and gas-guzzling luxury cars is elastic, which means demand shrinks during a downturn.

Another way to think about ethical investing is to look for companies that provide services that are elemental to everyday life. Continue reading

It is not the "common cold" that some people write to me about.

Worldwide there have been over 250 million cases and just over 5 million deaths - this pandemic is unique and dangerous.

As of last week, in New Zealand there were a total of 7,775 cases of people who have or who have had Covid in New Zealand, there have been 32 deaths.

The Coronavirus has disrupted our lives, and we all have a responsibility to continue to keep safe and help keep others safe.

About a month ago, while on a flight from Slovakia to Italy Pope Francis spoke to reporters and said he did not know how to explain why some Cardinals are hesitant to "get the jab".

If you are wondering about the Cardinal who is writing this, yes, I have been vaccinated and so have all the New Zealand bishops.

The Pope said, "It is a bit strange because humanity has a history of friendship with vaccines...As children [we were vaccinated] for measles, polio - all the children were vaccinated and no one said anything".

Some believe that Catholics should be allowed to claim conscientious objection to the Covid-19 vaccines on religious grounds.

Pope Francis disagrees with this, and said the vaccines are "morally acceptable" and could be used "in good conscience".

For well over a year now we have been reminded that as the COVID-19 pandemic continues, we can use the pandemic's disruption to begin anew.

This is a chance for all of us to think differently and hopefully to think of others, and not just about what suits me or what I see as ‘my right'.

To begin anew is not something we can do on our own, to quote Pope Francis again: "The Holy Spirit bestows wisdom and good counsel. In these days, let us invoke his aid upon those charged with making complex and pressing decisions, that they may defend human life ... we need a vision rich in humanity; we cannot start up again by going back to our selfish pursuits without caring about those who are left behind".

We have heard so much about how infectious this virus is, maybe it will be good to think about how at the first Pentecost God ‘infected' the world with life.

What can we do to be positive and overcome the threat of death and disease that has ravaged the world for months now?

How can we help others and help ourselves?

Can we ‘infect' the world, our part of it, with life and hope?

To ‘infect' the world we can take these steps:

• Implore the Holy Spirit to pour into our hearts the life of God, who is love.
• Be willing to open their eyes and hearts and to change.
• Do for others that which we would hope for ourselves.
• Give encouragement to those who are afraid of being vaccinated
• Care for those who are alone and struggling with the changes in our world.

The way forward is not that difficult, if we need hope for tomorrow then we give hope today.

• John Dew is Cardinal Archbishop of Wellington, New Zealand.

The vocally loud and unmasked protesters took over the Capital's streets and pavements as they snaked their way from Wellington's Civic Square, through Mercer and Willis Streets and down Lambton Quay to Parliament.

At one point it seemed there would be no end to the protest as more and more people just kept coming.

They were very loud.

A local business person told CathNews it was one of the largest protests in Wellington she has seen for a while.

The protestors' message was clear.

They were freedom marchers; chanting a range of phrases in opposition to what they labelled an experimental Pfizer vaccine and the vaccine mandate.

They protested the lack of choice for other vaccines, and a strong distrust for Prime Minister, Jacinda Ardern.

The pro-Government and uninquiring role of the media also featured prominently in the protest; one placard saying the "Media is the virus".

Many also opposed the vaccine roll-out for children, with one young person emblazoned in a hand-painted T-shirt reading: "My mother calls the shots".

Others protested lockdowns, business closures, mental health and the rights of New Zealanders being trampled on.

One protester told CathNews she was there to support Aucklanders' whose mental health is under pressure and their livelihoods in jeopardy.

"Jacinda's not interested in Auckland, Aucklanders and their struggle.

"Her kindness is just for the cameras, and is fake", she said.

Also among the protestors were a number of religious fundamentalists, claiming New Zealand had lost faith in a God who will protect us all.

Commenting on the role of pentecostal protest, senior lecturer in Anthropology at the University of Waikato, Fraser Macdonald says Pentecostals seem unwilling and are unable to accept epidemiological explanations and strategies.

"Pentecostals' steadfast assertion that the raw power of the Holy Spirit will prevail over the principalities of darkness has run up against the cultural and environmental realities of the modern world", he writes.

Macdonald's comments were amplified, Tuesday by a protester who told CathNews: "They've removed Jesus from the Parliamentary prayer and the vaccine is all part of a new world order, Satin's agenda".

This fundamentalist pentecostal agenda is however at odds with mainstream churches; Cardinal John Dew again today is urging people to get vaccinated in order to help keep themselves and others safe.

Speaking with a Wellingtonian after the event, a woman said she's re-thinking what pro-choice means.

"I'm pro-choice on everything.

"Choice is good, but these people really annoy me", she volunteered.

"They're making me think about what being pro-choice actually means.

"Do they have any sense of social responsibility?" she posed.

"This protest was just socially irresponsible", she said through her mask.

Other reactions also condemned the protest, calling it "shocking" and those involved as having a "toxic underbelly".

Among those reacting was Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern who dismissed the participants, saying they did not represent the vast bulk of New Zealanders whom she thanked for getting vaccinated.

National's leader, Judith Collins however was more moderate, saying some of the messages were unhelpful, but that the protesters highlighted an issue of trust.

"There are people who don't trust the vaccine, who don't trust Pfizer, and who don't trust the Government".

"It is best not to dismiss them, it is best to deal with their concerns", said Collins.

On Monday, Singapore announced that anyone who is unvaccinated by choice will no longer receive free Covid-19 treatment.

Sources

• Supplied
• NZ Herald
• Stuff

Mr Goodwin, 74, has 37 properties in Auckland and Waikato generating $14,500 a week in rent.

The Rev Mark Beale, who runs a church housing trust which has accommodated up to 20 families, said Mr Goodwin had more than enough earthly riches, so could be far more charitable.

"He's a multimillionaire who can afford to help people.

"He can afford for them to take advantage of him."

"People are not treating houses as homes any more but as money-making ventures," Mr Beale said. Read more

On September 7, at the Anglican Diocese of Auckland Synod, the diocese voted overwhelmingly in favour of a motion calling on the diocese to withdraw its investments from companies whose main business is the extraction and/or production of fossil fuels.

In doing so it became the first institutional body in New Zealand to do so.

A spokeswoman for the Catholic bishops said Catholic Archbishop John Dew had already had an initial meeting with staff on the issue, reports the NZ Herald.

"They plan to ... undertake the [necessary] consultation before the conversation on this goes any further," she said.

Ethical investment adviser, Dr Rodger Spiller, said he was not aware of any other significant New Zealand investor that had sold out of fossil fuel investments on principle, but there was "a strong possibility" that others would follow the Anglican lead.

The Rev. Mathew Newton, of St Paul's Symonds Street, who introduced the synod motion, stressed in his speech the moral argument for fossil fuel divestment, saying "global climate change ... will have its greatest effect on those who have the least access to the world's resources and who have contributed least to its cause — not least in the Pacific islands where sea level rise already poses a grave threat."

The move to divest was a question of "moral consistency," Newton said.

"If we are making efforts to reduce our carbon emissions on the one hand, it doesn't make sense for us to be financing the fossil fuel industry through our investments on the other."

Sources

• NZ Herald
• Episcopal News Service
• Image: The Finance Pages