Arnold Schwarzenegger to attend climate justice conference led by Pope Leo XIV

Pope Leo XIV and former California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger. / Credit: Credit: Daniel Ibáñez/EWTN News; Gage Skidmore (CC BY-SA 3.0)

ACI Prensa Staff, Sep 25, 2025 / 15:18 pm (CNA).

American actor and former California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger is set to attend the Oct. 1–3 “Raising Hope for Climate Justice” conference, led by Pope Leo XIV in Castel Gandolfo. This is the second time the American actor will meet with a pontiff, having greeted Pope Francis in January 2017 following a general audience held in the Paul VI Audience Hall at the Vatican.

This international gathering “seeks to promote a global response to the climate and ecological crisis from faith, politics, and civil society,” according to the Vatican Press Office, coinciding with the 10th anniversary of the encyclical Laudato Si’, the Paris Agreement on climate, and the 2025 Jubilee.

Promoted by the Laudato Si’ Movement in collaboration with international organizations, speakers will include the Brazilian minister of the environment, Marina Silva, as well as “bishops, heads of international organizations, Indigenous leaders, climate and biodiversity experts, and representatives of civil society.”

According to the organizers, the three days “will feature conferences, panel discussions, spiritual moments, and cultural encounters that will highlight the progress made since the publication of Laudato Si’ and the urgent steps that must be taken in preparation for COP30 in Brazil.”

Organizers said the event seeks “to celebrate the fruits of Laudato Si’ and the climate action of faith communities over the past decade,” “to inspire hope in the midst of the climate crisis with a unique spiritual and cultural program,” “to mobilize concrete commitments from religious, political, and social leaders toward climate justice,” and “to promote long-term collaboration between the Church, civil society, and policymakers.” 

The Oct. 1 program includes an address by the director of the Laudato Si’ Movement, Lorna Gold, and the president of the Focolare Movement, Margaret Karram, plus remarks by Pope Leo XIV, the Brazilian minister, and the former governor of California.

The following day is set to feature the keynote address, “A Reason for Hope,” by the archbishop of Porto Alegre, Brazil, Cardinal Jaime Spengler, president of the National Conference of Bishops of Brazil and the Latin American Episcopal Council (CELAM, by its Spanish acronym).

The conference’s third day will explore practical ways to implement Laudato Si’.

This story was first published by ACI Prensa, CNA’s Spanish-language news partner. It has been translated and adapted by CNA.