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Pope Leo XIV Accepts Liberty Medal via Video from Rome
Pope Leo XIV received the Liberty Medal from the National Constitution Center on July 3, 2026, during a virtual appearance from Rome. The award recognized his work on religious liberty ahead of the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence.
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Pope Leo XIV accepted the Liberty Medal from the National Constitution Center during a video appearance from Rome on July 3, 2026. He wore the medal around his neck while addressing the Philadelphia institution on the eve of the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence.
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The center awarded the medal for his lifelong work promoting religious liberty and freedom of conscience and expression.
Past recipients include Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg and U.S. Rep. John Lewis. Pope Leo XIV stated that America was founded by courageous men and women who dreamed of liberty and a better life for themselves and their children.
He asserted that all men and women are created equal and enjoy unalienable rights including life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. He recalled the United States' tradition of opening its doors to successive waves of immigrants, enabling them and their children to shape the nation's future.
The pope also stated that every person enjoys human dignity and must be protected from conception until natural death.
"The moral greatness of a nation is manifested, above all, in its capacity to support, protect and cherish the lives of all, especially the most vulnerable and those whose worth is questioned," he said. He prayed that the ideals of shared human dignity, equality and fundamental rights would guide the United States now and in the future.
Pope Leo XIV, who was born in Chicago, planned to spend July 4 at the Sicilian island of Lampedusa.
