via the Nebraska Examiner:

A Creighton University professor says that Pope Francis and his two predecessors at the Vatican have all called for increased consideration of the ecological costs of business decisions to protect the planet.

That, according to Dan DiLeo, a moral theologian, includes considering climate risks — so-called “environment, social and governance” (ESG) issues — when making financial investments.

“ESG has been part of Catholic social teaching for years,” DiLeo said. “It’s kind of ironic that it’s become this live wire issue.”

DiLeo was among 130 professors and academic researchers who recently signed onto a letter urging state and federal policymakers to protect the freedom to invest responsibly….

Efforts to restrict “sustainable” investing were initiated in at least 37 states this year, and some conservative states, including Iowa and Wyoming, have restricted consideration of ESG in investing state funds….

“ESG says investors should consider moral principles and refuse to purchase companies that obviously harm people and planet,” he wrote in the op-ed. “ESG investors are increasingly divesting from fossil fuel corporations in response to the moral dimensions of climate change.”