Schwarzenegger: Pope Leo is an "action hero" for climate protection

Castel Gandolfo - Arnold Schwarzenegger had already praised the Vatican for its climate policy during his appearance on Tuesday. On Wednesday, he opened a climate conference together with the Pope. And was not sparing with his praise.

Published on 01.10.2025 at 20:01 –

Arnold Schwarzenegger (78), former governor of California and Hollywood star, has praised Pope Leo XIV as an "action hero" for climate protection. Schwarzenegger was alluding to one of his film roles. "You laugh because he might not look like a typical action hero, muscles and all," he said on Wednesday in Castel Gandolfo. The founder of the "Schwarzenegger Climate Initiative" emphasised at the opening of a climate conference that the Vatican would become one of the first climate-neutral states under Pope Leo.

Leo XIV picked up on Schwarzenegger's words in his speech: "If there is an action hero here among us, it is all of you who are helping to make a difference," he said to the 400 or so experts from politics, science and the Church who are discussing measures for ecological renewal until Friday. The "Raising Hope for Climate Justice" conference is being held to mark the tenth anniversary of the publication of Pope Francis' environmental encyclical "Laudato si" (2013-2025). (KNA)