The Matt Walsh Show: Ep. 1667 – The Pope Hosts Cringe ‘Climate Justice’ Event

Date: October 2, 2025
Host: Matt Walsh (The Daily Wire)

Episode Overview

In this episode, Matt Walsh takes aim at the Vatican’s recent “climate justice” conference, sharply criticizing Pope Leo’s involvement and the broader leftist political associations of climate activism. Walsh questions why climate justice is prioritized amid ongoing Christian persecution worldwide. The episode also covers topics such as law enforcement efforts in Memphis under the Trump administration, Don Lemon’s latest outbursts, Michelle Obama’s marriage comments, and a satirical takedown of anti-beard policies in the military.

Main Theme: Pope and 'Climate Justice'

Context & Criticism

• Walsh’s Catholic Perspective:

  • Walsh, a self-identified lifelong and devout Catholic, expresses reluctance but insistence in criticizing the Pope, saying,

    “In a time when we simply cannot rely on church leadership to actually lead with moral clarity, it falls on the rest of us to speak up.” (04:50)

• Contrast of Priorities:

  • Matt details recent Christian persecution and violence, such as genocide in Nigeria and targeted church shootings, lamenting that church leadership, including Pope Leo, neglects these crises in favor of climate activism.
  • He argues Pope Leo is adopting stances indistinguishable from those of “random NGO spokeswomen or democrat politicians.” (06:54)

The Vatican Climate Conference

• Event Details:
  • The Vatican hosts an “international conference in Italy, which was entitled Raising Hope for Climate Justice.” (09:06)
  • Matt argues terms like “climate justice” are “communist” and have “very bad political implications.” (09:23)

Notable Event Moment

• Blessing of the Ice Block

  • The Pope blesses a block of ice in a ritual Matt calls a “weird earth worshiping hippie ritual,” declaring,

    "It's not Catholic... This is not Catholic... I've never seen anything like that." (09:06-10:00)

• Arnold Schwarzenegger’s Involvement:

  • Schwarzenegger, attending the event, is mocked for his environmental advocacy and perceived attempt to co-opt Catholics for the climate cause:

    “He wants every Catholic in the world to join his environmental movement... Not its teachings, but its size. That’s the key asset.” (15:04)

Key Quotes

• Arnold Schwarzenegger:

  “Watch, the Catholic Church has 1.4 billion members... Now think about that power.” (13:36)

• Matt Walsh on the event:

  “The leader of the Catholic Church just shouldn’t be anywhere near this nonsense. It’s not just cringe and embarrassing. It’s scandalous to any non-Catholic who sees this...” (09:06)

Ritual and Language Critique:

• The event is slammed as “a dollar store Woodstock with the Pope.” (11:35)

• Walsh accentuates the incongruity between Christian doctrine and the leftist, intersectional agenda present at such events, reading substantial quotes from Greta Thunberg and UN/Greenpeace materials, to emphasize that “climate justice” always means total left-wing cultural and political overhaul.

• Quote from Greta Thunberg (Read by Walsh):

  “Colonial, racist, and patriarchal systems of oppression have created and fueled [the climate crisis]. We need to dismantle them all.” (17:37)

Walsh’s Closing Argument:

“The climate justice movement is a left wing political movement... and its goals very explicitly are the destruction of Western civilization, starting with the church itself... There is no Catholic version of it.” (20:50)

[24:00] Law and Order in Memphis: Federal Crackdown

• Coverage of a federal law enforcement initiative to drive out crime in Memphis under the Trump administration.

  • Stephen Miller (Trump White House):

    “We are about to provide you with a level of support you cannot even imagine... This isn't just a task force. This is an all-government, unlimited support operation.” (25:32)

• Walsh’s Analysis:

  • Praises Miller as “totally authentic.”
  • Asserts that safe cities are fully achievable:

    “You know, there doesn’t have to be any part of your city or your neighborhood that's taken over by crime and violence. It's very, very possible...” (27:22)

  • Views the initiative as both morally right and politically shrewd.

[32:55] Don Lemon’s Rant Against White Men

• Don Lemon criticizes white men on his low-rated podcast.

  • Don Lemon:

    “Men who look like you, men who vote like you, and men who sound like you white men. Something is broken, something is cracked deep inside when so many of you believe the answer... is violence. Are you listening to me? I hope I'm saying it loud enough for the people in the back.” (34:37)

• Walsh’s Counter:

  • Walsh rebuts Lemon’s remarks, using crime statistics and mocking Lemon’s podcast metrics:

    “You can hear his voice echoing through the empty halls. No, nobody's listening, Don. That's your problem.” (35:46)

[39:00] Michelle Obama’s Podcast & Marriage Discourse

• Clip package from Michelle Obama’s podcast featuring complaints about marriage and Barack’s chewing.

  • Michelle Obama:

    “It's very easy to quit on a marriage... The way you're chewing makes me want to smack you upside that. The girls and I are very irritated with the way Barack chews.” (39:11–40:10)

• Walsh’s Take:

  • Mixes dry humor and analysis, expressing rare (tongue-in-cheek) sympathy for Barack Obama:

    “You were the president, and now in retirement, here's your wife... nagging you in a podcast every day, telling the world that you chew too loud.” (40:38)

  • Criticizes the “marriage is hard” refrain, offering that marriage is easy—unless you or your spouse is a narcissist:

    “There are really only two things that can make marriage hard, really only two. And one is if you're married to a narcissist. Or two, if your spouse is married to a narcissist, meaning that you're the narcissist.” (42:26)

[50:03] Satirical Take: Military “War on Beards” (Daily Cancellation)

• Secretary of War Pete Hegseth:

  • Announces a policy banning beards in the military, stating,

    “No more beardos. The era of rampant and ridiculous shaving profiles is done.” (50:14)

• Walsh’s Satire:

  • Lampoons this as anti-beard bigotry, defending the “bearded community” with tongue-in-cheek bravado:

    “He implies that beards are pagan... But you know who else had a beard? Jesus. Every other notable man in the Bible, presumably, had a beard.” (51:08)

  • Jokes that beardless men “look like big weird babies” and that “an army of bearded Vikings” would be more formidable than “hairless baby-faced Office Depot managers.”

Notable Quotes & Moments (with Timestamps)

• “If anyone in the audience feels that way, I won't be able to convince you otherwise. I have to do what I believe is the right thing.” – Matt Walsh (03:49)
• “This is language that by design identifies the speaker as a committed true believer of the left wing cause... This is what makes it so disturbing.” – Matt Walsh (08:43)
• “Left wing climate activism always, always has heavy undertones of, you know, Gaia worship, which is just one of the reasons why Catholics should stay far away from it...” – Matt Walsh (10:05)
• “Bless this water. May it awaken our hearts, cleanse our indifference, soothe our grief, and renew our hope. Through Christ our Lord...” – Event Host (08:21)
• “The Pope should not be partaking in something that is absurd. And that's what this is. And that's the most charitable way to describe it.” – Matt Walsh (11:35)
• “Climate justice is an inherently leftwing political concept. It comes bundled with every other leftist project. That's the point.” – Matt Walsh (19:34)

Recurring Tone & Language

• Walsh’s language is characteristically sarcastic, scornful toward political and cultural progressivism, and marked by a blend of biting humor and earnest social commentary.
• Frequent use of ridicule and mockery, especially when addressing “cringe” elements of public events, or the “absurdity” of leftist cause language.

Timestamps Highlights

• [03:49] Matt’s introduction and rationale for criticizing the Pope
• [09:06–11:35] Critique and mockery of the Vatican “climate justice” ritual
• [13:36–15:04] Schwarzenegger’s speech and its implications
• [17:37] Thunberg and UN/Greenpeace “social justice” quotations
• [24:00] Federal law enforcement initiative in Memphis
• [34:37] Don Lemon’s anti-white men diatribe
• [39:11–40:10] Michelle Obama on marriage and Barack’s chewing
• [50:14] Pete Hegseth’s anti-beard decree and Walsh’s satirical defense

Conclusion

This episode sees Matt Walsh sharply rebuking the Vatican and Pope Leo's politicization of Catholicism through "climate justice" activism, warning of leftist ideological capture. He punctuates his analysis with critiques of high-profile media and political figures, satirical asides, and a steady undercurrent of conservative cultural critique, making the show a pointed, humorous summary of cultural and religious clash points in current events.