Multiple people have spoken out against Pope Leo blessing a block of ice during a global church summit on climate change, with one calling it part of a “weird pagan Earth-worshipping hippy ritual.”
Leo carried out the blessing while he presided over the 10th anniversary celebration of immediate predecessor Pope Francis’s landmark ecological encyclical (a papal letter sent to all Roman Catholic bishops), Laudato Si, or Praised Be.
Pope Leo was presiding over the Raising Hope for Climate Justice’ International Conference at Castel Gandolfo, just south of Rome, in front of more than 1,000 people, according to the National Catholic Reporter.
Footage of him blessing a block of ice has been shared widely online. Several figures have criticized the move, classing it as “paganism” and saying the “the leader of the Catholic Church shouldn’t be anywhere near this nonsense.”
Newsweek has contacted the Vatican, via email, for comment.
Why It Matters
The event unfolded against the backdrop of heightened U.S. political polarization around climate issues, with Pope Leo delivering veiled criticism of those who ridicule global warming science.
This comes as Leo is already facing backlash for his comments about abortion and what it means to be consistently pro-life.
What People Are Saying
The Pope used the event, attended by bishops, indigenous and environmental groups and former California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, to call on people to “put pressure on governments to develop and implement more rigorous regulations, procedures and controls.”
“The challenges identified in Laudato Si are in fact even more relevant today than they were 10 years ago,” Leo said. “These challenges are of a social and political nature, but first and foremost of a spiritual nature: they call for conversion.”
Matt Walsh, the influential conservative commentator, said in a post on X: “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.”
Similarly, Social media commentator Ian Miles Cheong said: “The Pope blesses a slab of ice and then just lingers there while a bunch of communist weirdos prance around in some pagan Earth-worship ritual. The head of the Catholic Church has no business being anywhere near this circus.”
An account called “Catholics for Catholics” (@CforCatholics) said: “Pope Leo blesses ice at a Raising Hope for Climate Justice Conference. What are we doing here…?”
Father Federico Palma, a traditionalist Catholic priest, said: “The Vatican II religion touched a new low. Leo XIV in one week did perhaps more damage to the Catholic Faith than Francis in a couple of years. First, he undermines the pro-life cause, secondly, he promotes ecumenism and religious indifferentism, and now he performs this truly esoteric ‘blessing’ of water. What a disgrace.”
Others have defended the move, including Roman Catholic Levi Borba (@abrobivel), who said: “Ice is just water. The church has been blessing water since the 4 century and it is widely justified both by the tradition and the scriptures. Jesus was baptized in Blessed water by the way.”
Pope Leo posted on X on Wednesday: “We are one family, with the same Father, who makes the sun to rise and sends rain on everyone (Mt 5:45). We live on the same planet, and must care for it together. I renew my heartfelt appeal for unity around integral ecology and for peace!”
What To Know
Leo is already under fire for his comments on Tuesday, when he said: “Someone who says I’m against abortion but is in favor of the death penalty is not really pro-life. Someone who says I’m against abortion but I’m in agreement with the inhuman treatment of immigrants in the United States, I don’t know if that’s pro-life.”
He was speaking about an ongoing dispute between U.S. Catholic leaders over plans by Cardinal Blase Cupich, Archbishop of Chicago, to honor Democrat Illinois Senator Dick Durbin, a Catholic politician who supports abortion rights, with a lifetime achievement award for his immigration advocacy.
Cupich was planning on honoring Durbin with the award at the “Keep Hope Alive Benefit 2025” on November 3, hosted by Cupich himself and the Archdiocese’s Office of Human Dignity and Solidarity Immigration Ministry at St. Ignatius College Prep in Chicago.
The Archbishop has defended the award, arguing that the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith in 2022 instructed bishops “to reach out to and engage in dialogue with Catholic politicians within their jurisdictions.” But multiple people have spoken out against this too.
Since Tuesday, Durbin has “decided not to receive an award at our Keep Hope Alive celebration,” Cupich said in a statement.
What Happens Next
The ice blessing episode adds fuel to long-standing tensions between the Vatican and political conservatives—especially Trump supporters—who challenge the Church’s engagement with contemporary social and ecological issues. The controversy underscores broader debates within American Catholicism about the intersection of faith, ritual, and political advocacy.