Pope Leo XIV participated in a climate change event on Wednesday, blessing a block of ice as part of a ceremony marking the 10th anniversary of Laudato Si, the encyclical issued by the late Pope Francis urging Catholics to take responsibility for environmental protection.
The ceremony took place before an audience where the pontiff placed his hand on the ice block and offered a prayer.
Christians: Communists are shooting us and our children and burning down churches across the world, can you please help us?
Pope Leo: https://t.co/1n8cNvbxlp
— Jack Poso 🇺🇸 (@JackPosobiec) October 1, 2025
“Lord of Life, bless this water, may it awaken our hearts, cleanse our indifference, soothe our grief, and renew our hope, through Christ our Lord,” Pope Leo said as water dripped from the melting block.
The act immediately generated reactions online, with some conservative Catholic commentators questioning the symbolism.
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Critics argued the pope’s gesture placed attention on climate symbolism rather than focusing on broader religious and social issues.
The event highlighted the Vatican’s continued focus on climate change, following the path set by Pope Francis, whose encyclical Laudato Si was published in 2015.
The document called for Catholics worldwide to adopt ecological awareness and pushed for global action on environmental concerns.
During his remarks, Pope Leo said governments have not done enough to address the worsening effects of climate change.
According to the Associated Press, the pontiff said he hoped the upcoming United Nations climate conference “will listen to the cry of the Earth and the cry of the poor.”
He drew from Francis’ more recent 2023 encyclical, which reiterated concerns about global warming, and criticized those who dismiss or mock its reality.
“It is regrettable that leaders choose to deride the evident signs of climate change, to ridicule those who speak of global warming and even to blame the poor for the very thing that affects them most,” Leo said.
The pope’s statement also stressed that environmental concern should be part of the Christian faith.
“We cannot love God, whom we cannot see, while despising his creatures. Nor can we call ourselves disciples of Jesus Christ without participating in his outlook on creation and his care for all that is fragile and wounded,” he added.
Horrific. The whole thing. Pope Leo blesses a block of ice and then stands there while these communist freaks do some kind of weird pagan Earth worshipping hippy ritual. The leader of the Catholic Church shouldn’t be anywhere near this nonsense. What the hell are we doing here https://t.co/LEpC3u141T
— Matt Walsh (@MattWalshBlog) October 1, 2025
Pope Francis’ Laudato Si is widely considered one of the most significant Catholic statements on climate change, blending moral responsibility with ecological awareness.
Pope Leo has sought to expand on that legacy during his papacy, keeping environmental issues a central theme in his public addresses.
The blessing of the ice block was meant to symbolize the melting of glaciers and the urgency of addressing global warming’s effects.
However, the public response showed that the Vatican’s climate-centered events remain a point of controversy, particularly among Catholics who see the emphasis as out of step with more traditional priorities of the church.
The Vatican said additional events commemorating the anniversary of Laudato Si will continue throughout the year, coinciding with international conferences on climate change and environmental policy.
Pope Leo has made it clear that he intends to maintain a prominent role for the church in those discussions, while also calling on Catholic communities worldwide to adopt practices aimed at reducing environmental impact.
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