“Mensuram Bonam” Faith-Based Investment Measures

In November 2022, The Vatican gave Catholic fiduciaries a valuable new resource for aligning their institutions’ investments with their Catholic faith. “Mensuram Bonam” provides guidelines for those beginning their alignment process and those seeking to refine their approaches. This webinar, part of our Principles in Focus Series, explores Mensuram Bonam’s role and scope, and dispels underperformance myths about Catholic-aligned portfolios through a dialogue between true pioneers in this area: Paul Schott Stevens, Trustee of Catholic Investment Services; Scott Malpass, CIS Co-Founder and Board Chair; and Jean-Baptiste de Franssu, President of the Board of the Vatican Bank.

00:00 – Webinar opens, Tom Lanctot, CIS CEO, welcome and introductions
03:45 – Prayer of Thanksgiving
04:23 – Paul Schott Stevens, moderator, opening comments
04:42 – What is “Mensuram Bonam?” Catholic Social Teaching, and the trajectory of Faith-Based Investment Measures
11:10 – “No Investment Can Ever Be Considered Morally Neutral,” exploring the investment process
15:05 – Prior to the Bishop’s guidelines being released; How did you implement Catholic Social Teaching at the University of Notre Dame?
18:00 – “Mensuram Bonam” ~ Development of a New Kind of Competence in the Investment World
20:50 – ROI (Squared) = Return on Investment + Integral Development
23:55 – Practical Guidance on implementation and developing your IPS
32:10 – Beyond Exclusion: what are other tools; Impact Investing, Dialog and Engagement, Enhancing Issuer Relationships
36:35 – The Economic Model for Private Markets Investing
40:05 – Catholic Social Teaching (CST) ≠ Environmental, Social & Governance (ESG)
45:00 – Do Catholic-Aligned investment portfolios underperform?
48:00 – Insights from the Vatican Bank
51:00 – Q: Screening: Exclusion vs. Inclusion
52:20 – Q: CST in alternative investment; hedge funds and private market portfolios
54:10 – Q: How “Mensuram Bonamcompliments existing guidelines
56:30 – Q: Catholic Alignment & China
59:50 – A Call to Action: Next steps for “Mensuram Bonam”
1:02:25 – Thank you and closing