Pope Leo XIV sent a video message to the 10th Austrian World Summit in Vienna on June 16, 2026, telling participants that the “religious dimension is in fact essential” to addressing climate change and environmental protection. The summit, hosted by Arnold Schwarzenegger at the Hofburg Palace under the theme “We Are Unstoppable”, marked the 10th anniversary of the Austrian World Summit.
The Pontiff, the first American to hold the See of Peter, addressed an audience that included former US vice president Kamala Harris, Austrian President Alexander Van der Bellen and representatives from politics, business and civil society. He urged believers of all traditions to view care for creation as a “requirement of their faith” and a “vocation to be protectors of God’s handiwork”.
“While to some, faith may seem to have little to contribute to questions of climate change and environmental protection, the religious dimension is in fact essential to address these issues adequately,” Pope Leo said. “Those who believe that our world was created by God and is inherently good are compelled to assume an even greater responsibility to care for creation, since this is a requirement of their faith.” He added, quoting Pope Francis: “Living our vocation to be protectors of God’s handiwork is essential to a life of virtue; it is not an optional or a secondary aspect of our Christian experience.”
The message built on Leo’s earlier interventions, including his October 2025 address at the “Raising Hope for Climate Justice” conference marking the 10th anniversary of Laudato si’, and the inauguration of the Borgo Laudato Si’ centre at Castel Gandolfo. It also referenced the outcomes of COP30, held in Belém, Brazil, in November 2025, which concluded with agreements on increased adaptation finance for developing nations.
Pope Leo emphasised the role of religious communities in overcoming fear through hope, a theological virtue, and advocated “cohesive and forward-looking multilateralism”, a “just transition” and a “new person-centred international financial framework” to support poorer countries vulnerable to environmental challenges. “Religious leaders and communities can offer a special insight for supporting ambitious social and environmental efforts,” he said, noting that “the Bible is full of examples of how people’s fears can be overcome by hope, which ultimately is a gift from God Himself.”
The Austrian World Summit, now in its 10th year, was launched by Schwarzenegger in 2017 as part of his Climate Initiative and focuses on practical solutions including renewable energy and pollution reduction. This year’s edition highlighted “terminating pollution” and energy sovereignty, with speakers promoting renewables as both reliable and economically advantageous.
Traditional Catholic teaching has long stressed man’s stewardship of creation, rooted in Genesis and developed by the Church Fathers and Doctors, including St Thomas Aquinas. However, the elevation of contemporary climate policy to a central moral imperative has prompted debate among theologians and lay faithful over the proper hierarchy of concerns, particularly when set against perennial issues such as the defence of the unborn, the family and the integrity of the liturgy. Gavin Ashenden – a Catholic commentator, theologian and former Anglican chaplain to Queen Elizabeth II – has in recent times argued that humanity needs saving before the environment, and that since the destruction and pollution of the created order are downstream from the effects of Original Sin and man’s wounded nature, the matters of sin, salvation and sanctification are more primary.
Pope Leo’s continued emphasis on continuity with the Francis-era magisterium on ecology is being closely watched by those attached to the Church’s historic social doctrine as the shape of his pontificate becomes more apparent.
