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VOA新闻杂志2024--US Nuns Trouble Companies with Investment Activism

时间:2024-08-26 02:17来源:互联网 提供网友:nan   字体: [ ]
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In the American state of Kansas, a group of religious women have been calling on large companies to change the way they do business.

The women are Catholic Benedictine religious workers called nuns1. They live together in a monastery2 called Mount Saint Scholastica. The nuns, who call themselves sisters, pray and chant three times a day in their small church. Members of the Benedictine Order have followed this way of life for about 1,500 years.

But the sisters also put their money into investments in several companies. This gives them the right to propose changes to company policies at regular shareholder3 meetings that involve important decisions.

For example, the women asked oil company Chevron4 to consider more carefully its human rights policies. They asked Amazon to publish how much money the company spends trying to influence government officials. And they proposed that several manufacturers of medical drugs reconsider ownership rights called patents that, they said, increase drug prices. Patents legally protect a company's right to manufacture and sell a product that it developed or owns for a limited time.

"Some of these companies, they just really hate us," said Sister Barbara McCracken. She leads the nuns' corporate5 responsibility program. She added that, because they are a small group of women, the large companies might consider them like an unwanted insect.

Until the 1990s, the nuns had few investments. That changed as they began to invest money to care for older sisters as the community aged6.

They invest what little money they have in corporations that meet their religious ideals. But they also invest in some that do not meet their ideal. So, they push those companies to change policies they consider harmful.

Sister Rose Marie Stallbaumer supervised the community's finances for years. She said it was important that the group "invested in a responsible way." She added that they wanted to make sure their investments did not bring harm to others.

The sisters at St. Scholastica and other Benedictine groups work closely with the Interfaith Center for Corporate Responsibility (ICCR). The ICCR is an organization based in New York City that involves religious groups in organizing to push companies to change their policies.

Tim Smith is a policy advisor7 for the center. He said the Benedictine nuns have been an important part of ICCR for years. He said that while it can take years to see companies change, the sisters "have the endurance of long-distance runners."

Support for many of the changes the nuns seek has grown over the years. Early on, their resolutions received less than 10 percent support from shareholders8. But in some cases, they have received 30 percent or even over 50 percent support.

Pushing companies to change comes naturally to McCracken. She has been a peace activist9 for many years. "There's not a protest she wouldn't go to," said Sister Anne Shepard. She said McCracken's past involved anti-war, anti-racism, and union-supporting demonstrations10.

McCracken entered the Benedictine community in 1961. She calls herself unusual for a person who lives in a monastery because she "hates to miss a party." She and the other sisters follow the Benedictine rule to "pray and work."

At the center of much of what they do is the belief that the wealthy have too much, the poor have too little, and more should be shared for the benefit of everyone.

"To me, it's a continuation of Catholic social teaching," McCracken said of their activist investing.

Care for the environment has long been of central importance to Mount St. Scholastica members. Their college's graduates include Wangari Maathai, the Kenyan environmental activist and Nobel Peace Prize winner. Maathai died in 2011.

One of their top concerns is climate change. They use much of their 21 hectares of land for solar panels, community gardens and 18 beehives that produced about 360 kilograms of honey last year.

Their activism has often led to criticisms that they are too politically liberal. They recently received attention after they responded to statements made by Harrison Butker, a professional American football player. Butker had given a speech at nearby Benedictine College-cofounded by the Benedictine nuns. In the speech, he suggested that most of the women there would be more excited to be wives and mothers than anything else.

In a written statement, the sisters expressed concern with the idea "that being a homemaker is the highest calling for a woman."

The nuns are not married and do not have children. Many of the sisters have doctoral degrees. Most have worked in professions. Members of their group include a doctor, a lawyer of Catholic Church law, and a professional violinist.

The sisters received angry phone calls after they released their statement. At the same time, the nuns are strong supporters of the team Butker plays for, the nearby Kansas City Chiefs. They often wear the team's red and gold colors to religious services on days when the team is playing.

Sister Mary Elizabeth Schweiger helped write the nuns' statement. "It came from a very basic understanding of who we are and the values that we hold true," Schweiger said. "We just thought that voice had to be heard because we believe very much in being inclusive."

Sister McCracken said that following their religious beliefs brings them into contact with political and economic issues. "It's just the nature of being an active citizen," she said.

McCracken is nearly 85 years old and cannot be as active as she once was. But pushing companies to change gives her "a sit-down job when you can't go to the streets."

The members of Mount St. Scholastica do not retire, not really.

"We don't use that word," McCracken said. She added that if they still have the ability think clearly, "we just keep going, you know?"

Words in This Story

monastery -n. a place were members of a religious order (usually monks) live

chant -n. words that are repeated, often as part of a religious ritual

corporate -adj. related to a business corporation or to actions taken as a group under organizing rules

ideal -n. an idea that people want to copy or embody11

benefit -n. a good result from an action or decision

endurance -n. the ability to continue doing something for a long time

union -n. a labor12 group that supports workers' causes often in opposition13 to officials of the companies that employ the workers

doctoral degree -n. the highest degree offered by a university


点击收听单词发音收听单词发音  

1 nuns ce03d5da0bb9bc79f7cd2b229ef14d4a     
n.(通常指基督教的)修女, (佛教的)尼姑( nun的名词复数 )
参考例句:
  • Ah Q had always had the greatest contempt for such people as little nuns. 小尼姑之流是阿Q本来视如草芥的。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
  • Nuns are under vows of poverty, chastity and obedience. 修女须立誓保持清贫、贞洁、顺从。 来自辞典例句
2 monastery 2EOxe     
n.修道院,僧院,寺院
参考例句:
  • They found an icon in the monastery.他们在修道院中发现了一个圣像。
  • She was appointed the superior of the monastery two years ago.两年前她被任命为这个修道院的院长。
3 shareholder VzPwU     
n.股东,股票持有人
参考例句:
  • The account department have prepare a financial statement for the shareholder.财务部为股东准备了一份财务报表。
  • A shareholder may transfer his shares in accordance with the law.股东持有的股份可以依法转让。
4 chevron IUxyX     
n.V形臂章;V形图案
参考例句:
  • He wore shoulderstrap rank slides with sergeant's chevrons.他佩戴标示级别的肩章,上面有中士的V形标志。
  • The chevron or arrow road sign indicates a sharp bend to the left or right.V形或箭头路标表示有向左或向右的急转弯。
5 corporate 7olzl     
adj.共同的,全体的;公司的,企业的
参考例句:
  • This is our corporate responsibility.这是我们共同的责任。
  • His corporate's life will be as short as a rabbit's tail.他的公司的寿命是兔子尾巴长不了。
6 aged 6zWzdI     
adj.年老的,陈年的
参考例句:
  • He had put on weight and aged a little.他胖了,也老点了。
  • He is aged,but his memory is still good.他已年老,然而记忆力还好。
7 advisor JKByk     
n.顾问,指导老师,劝告者
参考例句:
  • They employed me as an advisor.他们聘请我当顾问。
  • The professor is engaged as a technical advisor.这位教授被聘请为技术顾问。
8 shareholders 7d3b0484233cf39bc3f4e3ebf97e69fe     
n.股东( shareholder的名词复数 )
参考例句:
  • The meeting was attended by 90% of shareholders. 90%的股东出席了会议。
  • the company's fiduciary duty to its shareholders 公司对股东负有的受托责任
9 activist gyAzO     
n.活动分子,积极分子
参考例句:
  • He's been a trade union activist for many years.多年来他一直是工会的积极分子。
  • He is a social activist in our factory.他是我厂的社会活动积极分子。
10 demonstrations 0922be6a2a3be4bdbebd28c620ab8f2d     
证明( demonstration的名词复数 ); 表明; 表达; 游行示威
参考例句:
  • Lectures will be interspersed with practical demonstrations. 讲课中将不时插入实际示范。
  • The new military government has banned strikes and demonstrations. 新的军人政府禁止罢工和示威活动。
11 embody 4pUxx     
vt.具体表达,使具体化;包含,收录
参考例句:
  • The latest locomotives embody many new features. 这些最新的机车具有许多新的特色。
  • Hemingway's characters plainly embody his own values and view of life.海明威笔下的角色明确反映出他自己的价值观与人生观。
12 labor P9Tzs     
n.劳动,努力,工作,劳工;分娩;vi.劳动,努力,苦干;vt.详细分析;麻烦
参考例句:
  • We are never late in satisfying him for his labor.我们从不延误付给他劳动报酬。
  • He was completely spent after two weeks of hard labor.艰苦劳动两周后,他已经疲惫不堪了。
13 opposition eIUxU     
n.反对,敌对
参考例句:
  • The party leader is facing opposition in his own backyard.该党领袖在自己的党內遇到了反对。
  • The police tried to break down the prisoner's opposition.警察设法制住了那个囚犯的反抗。
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