Petition for Divestment from Fossil Fuels

 

 

Dear President Jenkins,

 

 

We call upon you to divest University of Notre Dame’s endowment from the top 200 fossil fuel companies

 

and reinvest in socially and environmentally responsible funds.

 

 

The University of Notre Dame strives to be a global university, rooted deeply in Catholic values, and one

 

that never ceases to strive for academic and athletic excellence. The pillars of Catholic Social Teaching

 

call us to be stewards of God’s creation and to give preferential option to the poor, who are

 

disproportionately harmed by fossil fuels and by climate change. The practices of the fossil fuel industry

 

blatantly contradict and undermine the teachings and mission of the Catholic Church.

 

 

Our communities, environment and future are threatened by rising global temperatures caused by the

 

burning of fossil fuels. Therefore we believe our university should not be invested in corporations which

 

are involved in the extraction, production or distribution of fossil fuels.

 

 

We are asking Notre Dame to be a healing force for a world deeply in need, to plan for a fossil­free future

 

and work to ensure a just and stable world for all. We envision a future where Notre Dame stands tall as

 

a beacon of morality; an institution whose every deed seeks to ensure the flourishing of all humans and of

 

all things.

 

 

We demand that Notre Dame divest its endowment from the fossil fuel industry in order to avert further

 

environmental and human rights crises due to climate change.

 

 

In Our Lady, 

 

Petition for Solidarity