The Theatre of the Absurd: Pope Leo XIV's Ice-Blessing Spectacle and the Vatican’s Descent into Eco-Pagan Farce, By Peter West

Dr. Roger Watson's sharp critique of Pope Leo XIV's early papacy hits the ice nail on the head, and nowhere more absurdly than the pontiff's October 1, 2025, blessing of a massive block of Greenland glacial ice at the "Raising Hope for Climate Justice" conference in Castel Gandolfo, Italy. This wasn't a solemn sacramental act, blessing holy water or a rosary, but a staged eco-theater, complete with 20,000-year-old ice hauled from the Arctic (or Greenland, sources vary), flown to Italy amid a horde of 500 globe-trotting activists who jetted in from afar, spewing more carbon than a small nation's annual output. Leo invoked words like "Lord of Life, bless this water. May it awaken our hearts, cleanse our indifference, soothe our grief and renew our hope," turning a chunk of frozen water into a prop for climate alarmism. As Watson quips, the second law of thermodynamics likely melted it into oblivion, leaving us with soggy symbolism and zero spiritual depth.

This ritual reeks of the absurd, echoing Samuel Beckett's Waiting for Godot more than the Gospel, endless waiting for "ecological conversion" while ignoring the Church's core mission. Critics like Matt Walsh blasted it as Leo "blessing a block of ice and then standing there while these communist freaks do some kind of weird pagan Earth worshipping hippy ritual." Gavin Ashenden, a former Anglican bishop turned Catholic commentator, reportedly highlighted how Laudato Si' activists manipulated Leo's schedule via the Vatican Secretariat, scripting the event with a pre-written card, turning the Pope into a puppet for globalist green agendas. On X, Catholics for Catholics mocked: "Pope Leo blesses ice... What are we doing here?" Another user fumed: "Pope Leo needs to stay out of politics and... blessing an ice rock instead! That is how ridiculous the Pope's job has become."

The absurdity amplifies when you zoom out: Leo's remarks at the conference, marking the 10th anniversary of Francis's Laudato Si', railed against those who "ridicule those who speak of global warming," a veiled jab at Trump and sceptics days after the president's UN "con job" dismissal. He parroted Francis's Laudate Deum, claiming climate impacts are "increasingly evident" despite data showing no acceleration in extremes (e.g., hurricanes or sea levels beyond historical norms). Arnold Schwarzenegger, sharing the stage, hailed Catholics as "crusaders for the environment," blending Hollywood schlock with Vatican virtue-signalling. Meanwhile, the Vatican's own solar farm push, aiming for carbon-neutral status, ignores the hypocrisy: Flying ancient ice across oceans for a photo-op? As Watson notes, words aren't enough when actions scream elite posturing.

This ties into Leo's broader "Franciscan" continuity: Soft on unchecked migration (dismissing Vance's ordo amoris while the Vatican hosts zero migrants), equating abortion opposition with death penalty support or immigrant "rights" (contra traditional teaching), and backing liberal figures like Cardinal Cupich, who's honouring pro-abortion Sen. Dick Durbin. Conservatives dread this as dilution of doctrine, pro-life reduced to a buffet of social justice platitudes. The ice stunt? Peak theatre, alienating the faithful while pandering to Davos elites. As one X post lamented: "Pope Leo looked ridiculous... to SUPPORT A POLITICAL position about a highly controversial issue."

In a Church meant to save souls, blessing melting ice feels like a bad ecumenical joke, pagan-tinged activism masquerading as piety. Watson awaits excommunication? Many traditionalists are already tuning out, whispering schism. The absurd isn't just the ice; it's a papacy melting under its own contradictions.

https://dailysceptic.org/2025/10/05/pope-leo-a-chip-off-the-old-block-of-ice/