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Pope Leo blessing ice sparks anger: ‘Pagan Earth-worship ritual’

On Tuesday, Pope Leo XIV blessed a block of ice at the Raising Hope for Climate Justice International Conference in Castel Gandolfo before more than 1,000 people.
As part of the three-day Laudato Si celebration, organizers displayed a melting Greenland glacier to mark the 10th anniversary of Pope Francis's 2015 ecological encyclical.
Footage of the ceremony spread widely online and drew mocking responses from conservative social-media commentators while attendees including former California governor Arnold Schwarzenegger waved a blue tarp during the demonstration.
Amid the dispute, U.S. Catholic critics called Leo's environmental gestures pagan, while Cardinal Cupich said Durbin declined a planned award shortly after Leo's comments.
Leo framed the gesture as reinforcing Pope Francis's Laudato Si legacy and urged citizen pressure on national governments while backing the Vatican solar farm project.

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16 Articles

Slate

Left

The Pope Avoided American Politics Until He Couldn’t. Now the Right Is Mad.

They were hoping for a MAGA pope. They got something else entirely.

6 hours ago·United States

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Newsweek

Center

Pope Leo blessing ice sparks anger: ‘Pagan Earth-worship ritual’

One conservative commentator called the move a “weird pagan Earth-worshipping hippy ritual.”

8 hours ago·United States

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Fria Tider

Far Right

Pope Blesses Ice Cube at Climate Conference

The bizarre ritual. Leo XIV took the opportunity to poke fun at Trump at the same time.

10 hours ago

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Climate Depot

Right

Pope Leo blesses block of ice at ‘Climate Justice’ conference – ‘Listen to the cry of the Earth’ – Blesses ‘a large chunk of a melting glacier from Greenland’

Pope Leo blesses ice at a Raising Hope for Climate Justice Conference.@Pontifex What are we doing here…? pic.twitter.com/HXPWhlzWQg — Catholics for Catholics (@CforCatholics) October 1, 2025 UK Daily Mail: Woke American Pope Leo blesses a block of ice in bizarre climate change stunt after swiping at Trump’s global warming policies – ‘We will raise hope […]

12 hours ago

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The Independent

Lean Left

MAGA attacks ‘woke pope’ who blessed block of ice in climate gesture

The American pontiff asked world leaders to ‘act with courage’ to fight climate change, embracing his predecessor’s environmental legacy

12 hours ago·London, United Kingdom

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India Today

Lean Right

Pope Leo's ice ritual, a veiled dig at Trump and a MAGA meltdown

Pope Leo XIV blessed a block of ice at an ecological event, urging action on climate change and criticising global warming sceptics. His unusual ritual sparked social media backlash and renewed debate with Trump's climate stance.

21 hours ago·India

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