Catholic bishops to reject donations from mining, ‘destructive’ industries

The country's Catholic bishops will implement a "non-acceptance policy" on donations "of whatever kind" coming from alleged environmentally destructive industries, including mining.

The Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines policy was revealed in a news pastoral statement on ecology, which was released after a two-day online plenary assembly.

According to the Catholic bishops, the policy covered "destructive" projects such as coal-fired power plants, quarrying, and fossil gas, “regardless of [the] scale of operation.”

CBCP President Bishop Pablo Virgilio David said in a press conference that the protocol would be implemented by the bishops in their respective dioceses.

“And of course, the point persons in each community are the parish priests, the school directors and in other institutions run by the Roman Catholic Church,” David explained.

“Our people need to be very critical, especially our parish priests. While we have several needs in our pastoral work, let us not compromise the welfare of our environment.”

The CBCP's move comes two years after they agreed not to allow the financial resources of Catholic institutions to be invested in extractive projects.

The Philippine bishops also urged banking institutions that fund coal, fossil gas, and other similar industries to issue policies and plans to restrict and eventually phase out their involvement in such industries. — DVM, GMA News