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Pope Leo XIV Accepts Liberty Medal in Live Vatican Address

His remarks tied the Declaration’s founding principles to religious liberty and conscience.

Pope Leo XIV waves during the Angelus noon prayer from the window of his studio overlooking St.Peter's Square, at the Vatican, Monday, June 29, 2026. (AP Photo/Alessandra Tarantino)
The painted wall portrait of the current Pope Leo XIV, is seen in the Basilica of St. Paul Outside the Walls in Rome on January 25, 2026.
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FILE - Pope Leo XIV delivers his blessing as he visits Pavia's Cathedral, northern Italy, on June 20, 2026. (AP Photo/Luca Bruno, File)

Overview

  • Pope Leo XIV formally accepted the National Constitution Center’s Liberty Medal in a live address from the Vatican that was broadcast to a ceremony in Philadelphia on Friday.
  • The pope framed his acceptance around the Declaration of Independence and the First Amendment, stressing human dignity, the right to life, and religious freedom in remarks that invoked the country’s founding ideals.
  • The National Constitution Center presented the medal to Leo privately in April in Rome and cited his lifelong work promoting religious liberty and freedom of conscience as the reason for the award.
  • Friday’s ceremony was moved indoors at the Center because of extreme heat and included multi‑faith local speakers such as Archbishop Nelson Pérez, Imam Quaiser D. Abdullah, and Rev. Carolyn C. Cavaness.
  • The address came two days after unauthorized episcopal consecrations by traditionalist Catholics in Switzerland that Leo condemned as a grave wrongdoing, and it follows ongoing tensions between the pope and President Donald Trump that shape how his comments are being read.