At the opening of the Season of Creation, Pope Francis [said]: “This corporate misbehavior is a ‘new version of colonialism’ (Querida Amazonia, 14) that shamefully exploits poorer countries and communities desperate for income. We need to strengthen national and international legislation to regulate the activities of extractive companies and ensure access to justice for those affected.”

In coherence with the Pope’s call many more Catholic Church leaders signed the Bishops’ Statement: “Now more than ever, We need mandatory supply chain due diligence to stop corporate abuse and guarantee global solidarity” which was to date signed by 7 cardinals: Cardinal Christoph Schönborn (Austria), Cardinal Reinhard Marx (Germany), Cardinal Alvaro Leonel Ramazzini Imeri (Guatemala), Cardinal Jean-Claude Hollerich (Luxembourg), Cardinal Charles Maung Bo (Myanmar), Cardinal Antonio Augusto Dos Santos Marto (Portugal), Cardinal Baltazar Enrique Porras Cardozo (Venezuela) and 226 bishops, making a total of 233 high level Church leaders supporting the cause.

The statement [...] is especially relevant in view of the  next round of negotiations of a Legally Binding Instrument on Business and Human Rights at the United Nations, scheduled for October and this year entering its sixth session. The Statement comes at at time when the EU is also taking some important steps for corporate regulation through a public consultation launched by the European Commission and a legislative proposal by the European Parliament...