Pope Leo XIV will send his greetings to the Philadelphia region during our nation’s 250th birthday celebration as he accepts the National Constitution Center’s (NCC) prestigious Liberty Medal in Rome on July 3.
Organizers for the City of Philadelphia and the Wawa Welcome America festival made the announcement at a press conference Monday, March 16 in Philadelphia.
The 38th annual Liberty Medal will be awarded to Pope Leo for his lifelong work promoting religious liberty, freedom of conscience, and dignified human freedom around the world.
He is expected to deliver his live acceptance remarks virtually from Rome to an audience assembled on Independence Mall via livestream.
After NCC Interim President and CEO Vince Stango announced that Pope Leo would receive the award, Archbishop Nelson J. Pérez offered the following remarks noting its significance.
“Along with the entire Catholic Church in the Philadelphia region, I am deeply grateful and joyful to learn that Pope Leo XIV will be the recipient of the Liberty Medal as we celebrate our nation’s 250th birthday!
It is a fitting recognition of the Holy Father’s long dedication and fidelity to advancing liberty for all people throughout the world. In many ways, his tireless work as a priest, bishop, Cardinal, and now Shepherd of the Universal Church has focused on lifting up the dignity of all people and building pathways to peace.
I know we have a lot of local pride to have the first pope from the United States of America and a graduate of Villanova University.
Pope Leo’s influence, however, extends far beyond Philly. While shepherd of 1 billion Catholics globally, he is also a leader on the world stage and all people can benefit from his wisdom.
I have had the pleasure of working and conversing with the Holy Father on a number of initiatives over the years. I can tell you from personal experience that he is a wonderful, gentle, humble, and spiritual man of God who is a true gift to everyone.
He is a pastor not just for Catholics, but for every person of good will. He is a man of deep faith and extraordinary intellectual ability who understands the rich diversity of the global community. He is also a problem solver who comprehends the complex challenges our world faces.
His papacy, only about a year old, has already been a time marked by desire for genuine encounter with all people and filled with the compassionate love of Jesus Christ. That love is a pure one. It unconditionally embraces the stranger, the immigrant, the poor, the unhoused, the sick, those struggling with addiction, and all those in need. It does so without discrimination.
That’s more than a beautiful ideal. It’s a mission to which we are all called. When we fulfill it, we lift barriers preventing our brothers and sisters from experiencing the fruits of freedom and liberty.
I commend the National Constitution Center for its ongoing work to promote the importance of the Constitution’s ideals for the benefit of all those who call America home.
I thank the Center’s leadership for conferring the Liberty Medal upon Pope Leo XIV. May we take this opportunity to follow his example and work to bring peace to our families, our communities, and our world at a time when many experience anxiety and uncertainty.”
The Liberty Medal, established in 1988 and hosted by the National Constitution Center since 2006, recognizes individuals and organizations who strive to secure the blessings of liberty to people around the globe.
Recent recipients have included “Hamilton” and Ron Chernow, Ken Burns, Judy Woodruff and David Rubenstein, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, U.S. Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, U.S. Senator John McCain, U.S. Representative John Lewis, the Dalai Lama, and Malala Yousafzai.
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