BUSHWICK — Just steps from the Morgan Avenue subway station in Bushwick, you can dance the night away at a trendy nightclub, buy and sell vintage clothing, and enjoy artisan pizzas and craft cocktails. 

In that same corner of the neighborhood is a deeper message about climate change, technology, and the Church’s call to care for creation for all to take in. A mural of Pope Leo XIV, Arnold Schwarzenegger, and the chrome skull of the Terminator stretches across the side of Bake Shop on Flushing Avenue and Bogart Street. 

The mural was painted in December 2025 by the coffee shop’s owner, Massimo LoBuglio, a Catholic artist who also goes by the name Delphinoto. LoBuglio said it was inspired by Pope Leo’s first major address on climate change, given at the Mariapolis Center in Castel Gandolfo last October, a part of a Vatican climate conference, which he attended to display an exhibition of his paintings.  

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“[Pope Leo] was introduced by Arnold Schwarzenegger, and he said, ‘We need to terminate pollution,’ and Pope Leo gave this really powerful, inspiring speech,” LoBuglio said. “I wanted to continue that spirit and honor Pope Francis and his ‘Laudato si’ ’ encyclical, and his message to bring the Church to the streets.” 

The mural recently gained widespread attention online after an X user by the handle @isladeluca posted a tweet that said, “coffee shop by my house inexplicably has a mural of pope leo xiv and the terminator on their wall.”  

It was followed by a quote tweet with a photo of the art, which now has over 673,000 views and dozens of responses from users intrigued by the unexpected pairing of the pope and the Terminator in Bushwick. 

LoBuglio said the strong public reaction did not entirely surprise him. 

“I noticed something while I was painting,” he said. “People kept stopping me and asking what it was. The reactions were really strong — shock, curiosity, all sorts of emotions.” 

One of those reactions came from Nitsa Chery, a school counselor who works nearby and regularly visits Bake Shop. 

“When I first saw it, I thought, ‘Why Arnold Schwarzenegger? Why the Terminator?’ ” Chery said. “It was random, but interesting. Now that I know the connection, I think it’s cool.” 

“I try my best to be more environmentally minded,” she continued. “As a Catholic, the idea is that we love the Earth, and we’re supposed to take care of it.” 

This is not the first time LoBuglio has brought papal imagery to the public in New York City. 

In 2021, he painted a mural of Pope Francis at his Little Cupcake Bakeshop location in Lower Manhattan to highlight food insecurity and environmental sustainability. The new Pope Leo mural is a continuation of “Art for Laudato si’,” LoBuglio’s ongoing series inspired by Pope Francis’ 2015 environmental encyclical. 

LoBuglio said he also tries to live out the message of Laudato Si’ through his businesses. 

At Bake Shop, which serves fully vegetarian and vegan food, he said the cafe works to reduce waste through composting and limiting single-use products. Similar environmental initiatives are also incorporated throughout his four Little Cupcake Bakeshop locations across the city. 

“I wanted to use art to raise awareness, make people more curious about what the Church teaches on the environment,” he said. “A lot of people are surprised to hear the Church is really behind this. Anything that brings it into public awareness is beneficial for everyone.” 

The imagery of the Terminator also reflects Pope Leo’s growing focus on artificial intelligence and ethics, themes expected to be explored in his upcoming encyclical. 

“The Terminator was prophetic in a way,” LoBuglio said. “Forty years ago, it imagined the rise of machines, and now machines are part of every aspect of our lives. I’m inspired by Pope Leo’s call to not lose sight that we’re humans, we need to look eye to eye and interact and live outside the digital realm.” 

And on a busy Bushwick street corner, the mural continues to stop passersby in their tracks — prompting questions, conversations, and interpretations. 

“I think there’s always a deep spiritual longing among people,” he said.