Supreme Knight Patrick Kelly delivered the keynote address at the Conference on Mensuram Bonam, hosted by Cardinal Peter Turkson, chancellor of the Pontifical Academy of Social Sciences (PASS), at the Vatican on May 20. The conference brought together 80 representatives of bishops’ conferences, religious institutions and experts from the faith-consistent investing community around the world to share research and reflections in light of Mensuram Bonam, PASS’s 2022 document on economics and finance from the perspective of the Gospel and Catholic social teaching.
“Mensuram Bonam is crucial because it summons the faithful to a deeper realization of who we are, and what we must do,” Supreme Knight Kelly said in his address. “The combination of global economic growth and technological advances has given us a chance to embrace faith-consistent investing on a global scale. Such incredible sums of money can be a blessing to the world, promoting justice, peace and human dignity. But this money could also be the cause of grief and destruction if we allow it to be used in evil and immoral ways.”
Supreme Knight Kelly called faith-consistent investing “a process of continuous discernment,” noting the need for vigilance surrounding the growth of artificial intelligence.
One of the conference’s aims was to identify opportunities for collaboration among practitioners of faith-consistent investing. “We must bring together our significant financial resources to help build an economy that serves the human person,” the supreme knight said.
During the conference, PASS distributed a white paper, Investing With Faith, written in collaboration with Knights of Columbus Asset Advisors (KoCAA), CAPTRUST Religious Services Investment Consulting and Catholic Investment Services. The white paper draws on the practical experience of financial organizations — including KoCAA — with expertise in faith-aligned investing to provide evidence that investing according to Catholic social teaching has not historically implied lower returns over time.
“Leaders can invest in a way that honors the faith and supports the long-term needs of the parish, diocese or organization,” the white paper states. “Faithful stewardship and sound financial performance are not in tension. They belong together.”
“Our experience shows that over a full market cycle, faith-consistent investing has been competitive with traditional strategies,” said Deepak Devaraj, president and chief investment officer of KoCAA. “KoCAA supports Mensuram Bonam and adheres to the Catholic social and moral guidelines set forth by the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. … With KoCAA’s leadership, institutional and individual investors can invest in ways that honor the Catholic faith and support their long-term needs.”
Knights of Columbus Asset Advisors was established in 2015, extending the Order’s long-standing, Catholic-screened investment approach to other Catholic institutions. In 2021, KoCAA launched its Investment Advisory Program, further expanding access to individual investors. Today, the firm — recognized as one of Newsweek’s America’s Top Financial Advisory Firms 2026 — manages more than $30 billion in assets and, as a wholly owned subsidiary, contributes to the Knights’ broader charitable mission.








