Several Catholic dioceses in big shipping centres have pledged to divest shares in fossil-fuel related companies.
The National Catholic Reporter said the announcement was made following a Vatican-sponsored conference on the challenges facing the oceans and coastal areas.
Among the dioceses involved is Panama City, next to the Panama Canal and the first archdiocese in the Americas to divest.
The Catholic Church in Greece has also pledged to offload oil and gas and coal mining stocks, as has the San Carlos Diocese of the Philippines and Caritas Philippines, the church's development agency in the Southeast Asian country, a major source of seafarers.
Others include the Malta Archdiocese and, within Italy, the Naples Archdiocese, the Civitavecchia-Tarquinia Diocese, the Savona-Noli Diocese and the Siracusa Archdiocese, which are located in popular cruiseship ports.
"The climate crisis is real, and we don’t have a moment to lose in solving it. Dropping fossil fuels sends a strong message to the world — the Catholic Church isn’t waiting for climate justice," said Tomas Insua, executive director of Global Catholic Climate Movement, in a statement.
Cardinal Crescenzio Sepe, the archbishop of Naples, added, "It is time to become aware of the seriousness of the climate crisis and to work to ensure a respectful change in behaviours and lifestyles of each person. I think that this civic responsibility must be a moral duty and a concrete commitment for every good Christian."
The Vatican Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development co-hosted a conference in Copenhagen, Denmark, earlier this month called "The Common Good on Our Common Seas."
In a letter to participants, Pope Francis emphasised inter-generational justice and dialogue as two important elements when considering the challenges facing the seas and coastal communities, not least in the exploitation of the shipping industry for human trafficking.
The divestments are being organised by the Global Catholic Climate Movement.
