Is local weather change the brand new instructing of the Catholic Church? – Are you completed with that?

From THE WESTERN JOURNAL

Last week, Pope Leo managed to ceremoniously bless a block of ice instead at the Raising Hope for Climate Justice conference.

The gesture, intended to symbolize melting glaciers and a warming world, was met with laughter and disbelief. “Does this become holy water?” quipped one observer online. Others were blunt: the papacy, they said, had become climate theater.

The Pope’s symbolism should inspire. Instead, something worrying emerged: the Vatican’s moral authority is being collapsed into a pillar of environmental policy. When the Bishop of Rome steps into the spotlight with ice blocks and photo ops, the message is clear: faith is being repackaged to serve as a public relations tool.

This spectacle was not an isolated incident. This was accompanied by a speech in which Pope Leo condemned those who “downplay the increasingly obvious effects of rising temperatures” and mocked critics who “ridicule those who speak of global warming.” It was a script reminiscent of Pope Francis’ 2015 encyclical Laudato Si’, which placed the Roman Catholic Church firmly at the center of global climate activism.

Leo XIV emphasized: “We will inspire hope by demanding that leaders act boldly and not hesitate.” But these words sound less like pastoral guidance and more like political slogans. The role of a shepherd is to guide souls – not to shout slogans that could just as easily be adopted by a UN climate summit.

The Blessing of Ice highlighted the problem most clearly. A papal blessing traditionally sanctifies elements that nourish the life of the Roman Catholic Church: water for baptism, bread and wine for the Eucharist, oil for anointing. Here ice was not consecrated for divine purposes, but rather used as an aid for political messages.

This distinction is important. The sacraments draw their power from Christ, not from climate metaphors. When a sacred ritual is used as a stage device, it devalues ​​both the faith and the message. A block of ice cannot serve as a guardian of creation, nor does its blessing advance the mission of the Roman Catholic Church.

Pope Leo also repeated the familiar claim that climate change hits the poor hardest and that skeptics “blame the poor for the very thing that affects them most.” But here too, rhetoric overtakes reality. In practice, it is the poor who suffer most from the burden of climate policy itself. High energy costs, stifled development and limited opportunities are the bitter fruits of the “green” agenda. The recent energy crisis in Europe, caused by an over-reliance on renewable energy and a retreat from affordable fossil fuels, has left families struggling to heat their homes. Across Africa, development is being stifled by Western climate aid packages tied to restrictions that prevent industrial growth. These policies, advocated by elites, exacerbate poverty rather than alleviating it. But the Pope reserves his harshest criticism not for the political decision-makers, but for the skeptics.

This is not the first time that the Roman Catholic Church has joined a scientific consensus. The Galileo affair remains a cautionary tale: the doctrine was intertwined with the prevailing science, and as that science changed, Rome’s credibility collapsed. Today, climate models—uncertain, politicized, and often wrong—are treated from the pulpit as moral absolutes. It is a dangerous repetition of history.

Yes, the climate is changing. This has always existed. But the jump from “some warming” to “an existential crisis that requires radical global transformation” is not theology – it is ideology. The papacy should never confuse one with the other.

As a Catholic, I want to make it clear: I do not deny the calling to care for creation, nor do I reject the authority of the Roman Catholic Church in matters of faith and morals. But I cannot support the Holy See using the papal office to advance politicized views on climate science. It is not the belief that I disagree with, but rather its misguided application. The pope’s duty is to lead souls to Christ, not to act as a spokesman for controversial policies.

The Scripture is clear: We must care for the earth. But responsibility is not synonymous with political posturing or theatrical stunts. The blessing of ice blocks may make headlines, but it does nothing to strengthen faith or ease the burdens of the poor.

The mission of the Roman Catholic Church is eternal salvation, not secular activism. His message should be timeless and not tied to the agenda of climate conferences. If Pope Leo really wants to inspire hope, it would be better to preach rather than pontificate. For Catholics, salvation is never measured in tons of CO₂, but in faith, truth and fidelity to the Gospel.

The views expressed in this opinion article are those of the author and are not necessarily shared or endorsed by the owners of this website. If you are interested in writing an editorial for the Western Journal, you can learn about our submission guidelines and process here.

Anthony Watts

Anthony Watts (awatts@heartland.org) is a senior fellow for environment and climate at the Heartland Institute.

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