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Pope Leo VIX praised the United States’ legacy of welcoming of immigrants and its founding principle of religious liberty during his acceptance speech for the 38th annual Liberty Medal.
The Villanova University graduate, who is the first U.S.-born pontiff, didn’t attend Friday’s award ceremony at the National Constitution Center in Philadelphia but addressed the gathering virtually.
The event had originally been scheduled to take place outside, with a large screen showing his remarks, but was moved indoors in response to scorching weather that has also led to the cancelation of Friday’s Independence Day parade in Philadelphia and the curtailing of other events.
“In these past 250 years, for so many peoples throughout the world, it was the firm resolve to achieve the noble vision of the nation’s founders that made America a byword for freedom, as the country opened its doors to successive waves of immigrants, enabling them and their children to play their part in shaping the future of the nation,” the pope said, in a livestreamed speech from the Vatican.
Friday’s ceremony celebrating the award was timed to coincide with the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence at nearby Independence Hall.
Liberty, he said, is “preeminent among the principles revered by the men and women who have sought within this nation’s borders a new beginning, often equating it with previously undreamed-of hope.”
The National Constitution Center honored Pope Leo with the Liberty Medal for his “lifelong work promoting religious liberty and freedom of conscience and expression around the world,” ideals enshrined by America’s founders in the First Amendment.
The center’s interim president and CEO Vince Stango presented the medal to the pope at the Vatican in April, along with a Villanova scarf, pennant and hat. A video of the visit played during the ceremony also showed Archbishop Nelson J. Pérez handing the laughing pope a Wawa bag of Tastykakes.
Valuing “human life in every form”
Pope Leo praised America’s founding ideals broadly and discussed their importance in ensuring human dignity.
He described himself as “a son of this great country” and said the Declaration’s rights to “life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness,” which are being celebrated this week, were grounded in “a biblical vision of man and woman being created in the divine image.”
“This historic anniversary presents us with the opportunity to reflect once again on the nation’s founding principles, in the hope that America will remain ever true to the dream that has earned it the title of land of the free and home of the brave,” he said.
“A country’s vitality is deeply tied to the value it affords to human life in every form and condition, acknowledging the dignity endowed upon every human person by virtue of their very existence.,” he said.
The pope echoed his frequent past comments opposing military conflicts around the world, saying he hoped America’s tradition of religious freedom would contribute to an interfaith public discourse marked by “an ongoing effort to find common ground in promoting the cause of peace and reconciliation at home and abroad.”
The speech Friday was watched by a capacity crowd of attendees, which included many longtime members of the center, like Fishtown residents Jim Conmy and Nancy Rawson, as well as local Catholics and representatives of other religious groups.
Before the pope spoke, Conmy, who is Catholic, said he had attended many previous Liberty Award ceremonies and was looking forward to hearing Leo saying anything “that will promote peace in the world.”
“It’s all about standing up for liberty and equality and doing the right thing for everyone,” Rawson said.
Before the pope spoke, Gov. Josh Shapiro, Mayor Cherelle Parker, Pérez, Stango and local religious leaders made remarks.
Shapiro, who is Jewish, described himself as “a man of faith” and recounted the state’s central role in the establishment of basic American values, including founder William Penn’s promise of religious tolerance, the signing of the Declaration, and the drafting of the Constitution in Philadelphia.
“I’m proud to… recognize His Holiness Pope Leo the 14th for his extraordinary leadership as the first American pope and someone who we all know and feel proud to know was educated here in Pennsylvania in the Augustinian tradition of Villanova University,” Shapiro said.
The others speakers were Rev. Carolyn Cavaness of Mother Bethel AME Church, Rev. Luis Cortés Jr. of Esperanza and the Hispanic Clergy of Philadelphia, Rabbi Jill Maderer of Congregation Rodeph Shalom, and Imam Quaiser Abdullah, director of the Mayor’s Office of Muslim Engagement.
Those in attendance also included Congressman Brendan Boyle, who is a Catholic.
The event concluded with the singing of “America the Beautiful” by the Cathedral Basilica Choir and Archdiocesan Choir of Philadelphia.
