Finance

Inside the Vatican-Backed Fund of Big Promises and Small Returns

Eric Harr’s fund built on ethical investments struggled
Investors says they were misled and Harr denies wrongdoing

Danny Devito, left, Peter Turkson, center, and Eric Harr at the Laudato Si Challenge Demo Day at the Aula Magna in Rome, Italy, on Dec. 4, 2017. Photographer: Franco Origlia/Getty Images

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By Will Louch and Nicolas Parasie

August 15, 2022 at 4:00 AM UTC

This article is for subscribers only.

The brief speech didn’t rank among Danny DeVito’s most memorable performances.

Addressing the packed auditorium of Rome’s Pontifical Urban University in an untucked navy shirt, the actor delivered a bumbling introduction from a sheet before handing the microphone to Cardinal Peter Turkson, a leading figure in the Catholic Church and once a possible contender to be Pope.