Vatican Bank Launches Catholic Values-Aligned Equity Indexes in Partnership with Morningstar

The Vatican Bank, officially known as the Institute for the Works of Religion (IOR), has introduced two new equity indexes designed to track stocks that align with Catholic ethical principles. The Morningstar IOR US Catholic Principles and Morningstar IOR Eurozone Catholic Principles indexes target medium- and large-cap companies in their respective regions.

This unprecedented collaboration between the Vatican and financial data provider Morningstar reflects growing institutional interest in values-based investing. Each index comprises 50 issuers selected for compliance with IOR's Catholic investment policy, offering a standardized benchmark for faith-driven portfolios globally.

"Having benchmarks built in accordance with recognized Catholic ethical criteria allows us to make our performance assessment and reporting processes even more rigorous and transparent," said Giovanni Boscia, Vatican Bank deputy director general. The MOVE signals how traditional institutions are adapting ESG-style screening to their specific value systems.