Pope Leo XIV, the first American to lead the Catholic Church, has found himself at the center of a fierce debate after blessing a block of ice from a melting Greenland glacier during a high-profile climate conference near Rome. The symbolic gesture, performed at the tenth anniversary of Pope Francis’s landmark encyclical Laudato Si, was meant to underscore the urgency of climate action. Instead, it has sparked a firestorm among conservative Catholics and MAGA-aligned figures in the United States, who accuse the pontiff of being "woke" and abandoning traditional Church doctrine.
The event, held on October 2, 2025, brought together roughly 1,000 representatives from environmental and Indigenous groups, along with notable figures such as actor and former California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger. According to AP News, Pope Leo presided over the gathering with a large chunk of a melting glacier as a dramatic centerpiece, urging world leaders to "act with courage, not delay," and to "listen to the cry of the Earth and the cry of the poor." He asked the assembled crowd, "Will you join with us?"—a challenge that resonated with some, but was roundly mocked by others.
The timing of the pope’s remarks was hardly coincidental. Just days earlier, former President Donald Trump had addressed the United Nations General Assembly, dismissing climate change as a "con job" and calling the carbon footprint "a hoax made up by people with evil intentions." While Pope Leo did not name Trump directly, his pointed comments about climate change denial and the need for moral courage left little doubt as to his intended audience. "We will raise hope by demanding that leaders act with courage, not delay," Leo declared, as reported by India Today. He then called on national governments to develop tougher standards to mitigate the damage already done to the planet.
Social media quickly erupted with criticism from right-wing influencers and MAGA supporters. On X (formerly Twitter), some accused the pope of associating with "communist weirdos" and engaging in "pagan earth worship." One user joked, "I thought this was parody, but it wasn't. Will this become ‘Holy Water’?" Others, like prominent conservative commentator Matt Walsh, were more scathing: "The leader of the Catholic Church shouldn’t be anywhere near this nonsense." Walsh, who describes himself as a "theocratic fascist," later added, "Really terrible answer from Pope Leo. God Himself prescribes the death penalty in the Bible. Is the Pope saying that God is ‘not pro-life’?"
The backlash wasn’t limited to climate activism. In a rare moment of direct commentary on American politics, Pope Leo also defended Chicago Cardinal Blase Cupich’s decision to honor longtime Senator Dick Durbin, a pro-choice Democrat, for his four decades of public service. Speaking to reporters at the Vatican, Leo called for a "broader, more consistent interpretation of Catholic social teaching," especially around what it means to be "pro-life." He explained, "Someone who says 'I'm against abortion but I'm in favor of the death penalty' is not really pro-life. So someone who says 'I'm against abortion but I'm in agreement with the inhuman treatment of immigrants who are in the United States'—I don't know if that's pro-life."
These remarks, reported by Alternet, ignited a new round of criticism from conservative Catholics and MAGA-aligned commentators. Robby Starbuck, a filmmaker and anti-DEI advocate, lamented, "Pope after Pope has been a disappointing profile in cowardice who I just can’t look to as a leader. If Robert Sarah was Pope, this would not happen." Others accused Leo of "selling out" the pro-life cause and prioritizing politics over doctrine. Joe Rigney, an associate pastor, wrote, "When the ‘Vicar’ of Christ and the successor of Peter morally equates abortion, deportations, and the death penalty for heinous crimes, and then proceeds to bless a block of ice in order to save the planet from climate change, I admit to being decidedly unimpressed with the ‘seamless garment.’"
Matt Walsh continued his critique, arguing, "Even if you disagree with the death penalty, to draw a moral equivalence between executing convicted murderers after a fair trial and dismembering children in the womb is moral madness. Reddit-tier nonsense coming from the Pope. Very disturbing." Michael Heinlein, a Catholic commentator, added, "A terribly unclear question made this all the worse. As Cardinal George used to say ‘don’t tell me how you feel, tell me what you think!’" Meanwhile, Christopher Hale, a former Democratic nominee for Congress, mocked the MAGA backlash: "Maybe if he said it in Latin while wearing the papal tiara, MAGA would listen to him."
Despite the uproar, Pope Leo has remained steadfast in his commitment to environmental stewardship, continuing the legacy of his predecessor, Pope Francis. Quoting Francis’s 2023 follow-up encyclical, Leo reminded the audience that some leaders "deride the evident signs of climate change, ridicule those who speak of global warming and even blame the poor for the very thing that affects them most." He called for a "change of heart" among Christians, insisting, "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."
Leo’s environmental agenda includes support for a Vatican plan to build a vast solar farm north of Rome, which is expected to make Vatican City the world’s first carbon-neutral state. This ambitious project, originally approved by Pope Francis, has become a cornerstone of Leo’s papacy, signaling a long-term commitment to ecological reform within the Church.
The pope’s stance on immigration has also drawn sharp criticism from American conservatives. Karoline Leavitt, Trump’s press secretary, rejected Leo’s assertion that immigrants were being treated inhumanely in the United States. "This administration is trying to enforce our nation’s laws in the most humane way possible, and we are upholding the law. We are doing that on behalf of the people of our country who live here," she said, according to AP News. Leo, however, has not shied away from challenging U.S. immigration policies. In February, he clashed with Vice President JD Vance, a fellow Catholic, over the "Christian concept" of prioritizing family and nation over others. Leo countered, "Jesus doesn’t ask us to rank our love for others."
Even as far back as 2018, Leo condemned the Trump administration’s policy of separating children from their parents at the border, reposting a statement from Cardinal Cupich: "There is nothing remotely Christian, American, or morally defensible about a policy that takes children away from their parents and warehouses them in cages. This is being carried out in our name and the shame is on us all."
As Pope Leo XIV continues to press for action on climate change and a broader definition of what it means to be "pro-life," he remains undeterred by the criticism from the right. His message is clear: the moral challenges of our era demand courage, compassion, and a willingness to embrace all of humanity—and the Earth itself—as deserving of care and justice.
