Mining with Purpose in Latin America

In a bold move to reshape Latin America’s mining future, Inter-American Development Bank chief Ilan Goldfajn met privately with Pope Francis to pitch a vision of responsible rare earth mining—aiming to harness critical minerals for global tech without repeating past harms. With Brazil holding the world’s second-largest reserves, Goldfajn seeks European investment and local value creation, countering the Vatican’s historic opposition to mining’s exploitation of Indigenous lands and ecosystems. The Pope, who spent decades in Peru witnessing firsthand the devastation, has long condemned profit-driven extraction, making this meeting a high-stakes appeal for ethical resource development in a region still scarred by environmental and social injustice. Support the show:Get a discount at https://solipillow.com/discount/dnn. Advertise on DNN:[email protected] This is an automated, high-level news summary based on public reporting.Report issues to [email protected]. View sources & latest updates:https://sources.thednn.ai/7bce700f7656d0b5