Pope Leo XIV, Arnold Schwarzenegger Promote Care for the Earth at Climate Conference

“And of course, I’m very honored to be here, because I am next to an action hero,” he added, gesturing toward Pope Leo. “The reason I call him an action hero is because as soon as he became pope, he ordered the Vatican to put solar panels on the buildings. This will be one of the first states to be carbon neutral. Let’s give him a big, big hand for this action.”

The “Terminator” actor suggested more people talk about the problem of pollution over “climate change” as an easier concept for people to understand: “We have to talk to the heart so people understand it.”

“I have a very clear vision that we can [terminate pollution] together,” he added.

The pope, in comments before his prepared remarks, said “there is indeed an action hero with us today, it’s all of you.”

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Call to conversion

In his message, Leo praised Pope Francis’ environmental encyclical Laudato Si’ as a source of inspiration and dialogue that has prompted action to care for our common home.

“As with every anniversary of this nature, we remember the past with gratitude, but we also ask ourselves what remains to be done,” he said.

The pontiff said that in the 10 years since the publication of Laudato Si’, the focus has moved from studying the encyclical to putting it into practice.

“What must be done now to ensure that caring for our common home and listening to the cry of the earth and the poor do not appear as mere passing trends or, worse still, are seen and felt as divisive issues?” he asked.

Pope Leo’s speech also emphasized a need for spiritual renewal.

“The challenges identified in Laudato Si’ are in fact even more relevant today than they were 10 years ago,” he said. “These challenges are of a social and political nature, but first and foremost of a spiritual nature: They call for conversion.”

He encouraged people to grow in relationship with God, others, nature, and themselves, because “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.”

The pope expressed the hope that upcoming international summits at the United Nations, such as the 2025 Climate Change Conference (COP 30), the 53rd Plenary Session of the Committee on World Food Security, and the 2026 Water Conference, “will listen to the cry of the earth and the cry of the poor, families, Indigenous peoples, involuntary migrants, and believers throughout the world.”

He encouraged everyone, from young adults and parents to politicians, to do their part to find solutions to educational, cultural, and spiritual challenges. “There is no room for indifference or resignation,” he underlined.

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Hannah Brockhaus is Catholic News Agency's senior Rome correspondent. She grew up in Omaha, Nebraska, and has a degree in English from Truman State University in Missouri.