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Schwarzenegger Joins Pope Leo's Climate Crusade at Vatican Summit
30 Sep, 2025
Summary
- Arnold Schwarzenegger backs Pope Leo's efforts to address climate change
- Schwarzenegger calls on Catholics to be "crusaders for the environment"
- Vatican hosts 3-day event on 10th anniversary of Pope Francis' environmental document
On September 30, 2025, former California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger traveled to the Vatican to lend his support to Pope Leo's initiatives aimed at addressing the global climate crisis. Schwarzenegger, a Catholic and a longtime advocate for environmental protection, spoke at a press conference ahead of a three-day Vatican summit on the issue.
During the event, Schwarzenegger urged the 1.4 billion Catholics worldwide to become "crusaders for the environment" and help "terminate pollution." He expressed excitement that the Catholic Church and the Vatican are getting involved in the fight against climate change, stating that "we need their help."
The Vatican summit is tied to the 10th anniversary of a major environmental document issued by the late Pope Francis, which was the first papal text to embrace the scientific consensus on climate change and call for nations to reduce their carbon emissions. Pope Leo, the first U.S. pope, has also emphasized the Church's environmental teachings.
The three-day event is expected to draw around 400 faith and civil society leaders, including Brazil's environment minister, the director of the U.N.'s Faith for Earth coalition, and the CEO of the European Climate Foundation. Maina Talia, the climate change minister for the Pacific Island nation of Tuvalu, told the press conference that his country is already suffering dramatic impacts from rising sea levels, stating that "climate change is not a distant scenario" and that "our survival depends on urgent global solidarity."
