On October 1, the papal villa of Castel Gandolfo was the setting for the conference Raising Hope for Climate Justice, organized to commemorate the ten years of the encyclical Laudato Si’. Among the guests, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Hollywood actor and former governor of California, stood out, addressing the audience as one of the most enthusiastic voices in favor of the ecological agenda.
Leo XIV, “action hero”
In a brief but resounding speech, Schwarzenegger presented the Pope as a true “action hero.” He did not say it because of his role as head of the Church or for the defense of the faith, but because of an administrative decision: having installed solar panels on the Vatican’s buildings. “This will be one of the first States to be carbon neutral,” the actor emphasized, drawing general applause from the audience.
I am standing next to an action hero. Now, you laugh because he may not look like one, like those you see in movies with muscles and guns and all that. No. But the reason I call him an action hero is because, as soon as he became Pope, he ordered solar panels to be installed on the Vatican’s buildings. Think about it. Very soon, this will be one of the first States to be carbon neutral. So let’s give him a big round of applause for this great, great action.
Terminator against pollution
The former governor also took the opportunity to convert his famous cinematic slogan into an ecological message. “We must talk about ending pollution,” he stated, convinced that it is a concept easier to understand than “climate change.” According to him, the Church, with its 1.4 billion faithful, 400,000 priests, and 200,000 parishes, represents a decisive force to lead that cause.
A pleased Pope
Leo XIV, who was listening from the podium, responded courteously to the praises: “the true action hero is you,” he said to the participants. The gesture was celebrated with smiles and new applause. The scene was striking: a pontiff and a Hollywood star sharing the spotlight under the environmentalist aesthetic of tropical plants and a block of ice brought from Greenland.
Between Hollywood and the Vatican
Schwarzenegger’s intervention clearly reflected the tone of the meeting. In Castel Gandolfo, the priorities did not revolve around the mission of the Church, but around global climate objectives. What once would have been an act of prayer or doctrinal reflection became a runway where the Pope was proclaimed a hero for installing solar panels.