An annual event for the Catholic faith on the climate crisis took place in London on Wednesday 1st May.
The Catholic Charity Conference (CCC), organised by accountancy firm haysmacintyre and law firm Stone King, saw senior leaders and decision makers in the Catholic community coming together to discuss issues arising from this powerful theme: ‘The climate crisis, sustainable development, and ESG – the Catholic response’.
The all-day event at Church House in Westminster included inspirational presentations, the chance to pose questions and collaborate on possible solutions.
Speakers included Adam Halsey, partner and Head of Charities at haysmacintyre, who welcomed everyone and led the event’s first session around Laudate Deum, a call to action from Pope Francis, published in 2023, urging individuals to increase their efforts to protect the environment and stop the climate crisis. Dr Emma Gardner, Head of Environment at the Diocese of Salford, also spoke in this first session, highlighting key aspects of Laudate Deum and detailing some of the excellent sustainability work that the Diocese of Salford is doing to respond to Pope Francis’s call to action.
Emma and Adam were joined on the stage by Oli Henman, Global Co-ordinator at Action for Sustainable Development. He covered the background of the world Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) set by the United Nations and told attendees what their charities can do to support community organisations the world over in their work to provide climate and social solutions on a local level.
Julian Blake, partner at CCC co-organisers Stone King, held the floor after a coffee break, and gave a presentation highlighting the permissive nature of the legal background to responsible investing. He urged charity decision-makers to have confidence in themselves when it comes to investing, to focus on a diligent approach to what is reasonable and prudent in the best interests of their charity, and not to be misled by suggestions that there are more complicated, prescriptive legal requirements to negotiate.
Immigration lawyer Julie Moktadir, partner and Head of Faith at Stone King, then spoke on modern slavery and the persistence of this insidious crime’s presence across the world, including in the UK. She took attendees through factors that could indicate the presence of modern slavery and the types of organisations that are most likely to encounter it, illustrating the urgency of this issue with a number of unsettling examples from her first-hand experiences with clients.
Above: Immigration lawyer Julie Moktadir spoke about modern slavery
After an interlude, that saw attendees engaging in fruitful conversations and enjoying a buffet lunch, Paolo Camoletto, COO and Finance Secretary at the Diocese of Westminster, led a dynamic panel discussion with investment managers from the conference’s four sponsors: CCLA, Newton Investment Management, Rathbones Greenbank, and Sarasin and Partners. The discussion centred around the practical challenges of faith-based investment (as outlined in the Pontifical Academy of Sciences & of Social Sciences publication, “Mensuram Bonam”). In particular, the panel explored the power that Catholic charities have to make positive change through engaging with their investment managers, driving responsible investing and the formation of constructive behaviours at the companies in which they invest.
“The day was not only a call to action,” said Tim Rutherford, a Stone King partner with extensive experience of dealing with issues concerning the Catholic faith. “It was also an extremely instructive, even hopeful, event, which equipped attendees with the knowledge they need to either get started or continue on their sustainability journey.
“One of the key themes that stuck with me at the end of the day was engagement. Catholic charities naturally engage with their communities on a daily basis, which ideally situates them for climate action at a local level. Additionally, the investment managers that spoke in the afternoon’s panel discussion repeatedly invited and encouraged charities to engage with them on the topic of responsible investing as a way of implementing positive change.”
The CCC was founded in 1990 when four firms of professional advisors came together to establish a conference to address, from the perspective of their separate fields, the problems and issues faced by a number of their mutual clients, including Catholic dioceses and religious orders.
National law firm Stone King, which counts charity and faith as two of the specialist sectors in which it works, and haysmacintyre, an award-winning accountancy firm that has worked with Catholic charities for well over 50 years, continue to hold the CCC each year.
“The CCC always feels like a particularly special event,” said Adam Halsey. “People, united by their faith and a desire to positively impact their communities, come from all over the UK and sometimes even further afield to learn and to offer their own wisdom where they can. They make lasting connections with each other and, this year, bonded over their shared aspiration to protect and care for our common home.” The first CCC took place in April 1991 at the Whitbread Brewery in the City of London and was well received, resulting in it becoming an annual event in London.
Pictures: Speaking on faith-based investing are, from left, Christophe Borysiewicz, James Corah, Celia Waring, James Hutton, Melanie Roberts, Mitesh Sheth and Sarah Dickson, with Paolo Camoletto speaking.