While previous popes usually avoided accepting secular awards, Leo XIV today received the 2026 Liberty Medal from the National Constitution Center in Philadelphia.
The Centre said it was honouring the Pope for his support of religious liberty, freedom of conscience and human dignity — all of which are ideological frameworks that are not specifically Catholic.
The National Constitution Center describes itself as a nonpartisan institution dedicated to constitutional education. In practice, it is a prominent institution within the U.S. civic establishment, regularly hosting former presidents, senior government officials, judges, military leaders, and foreign-policy figures.
In a video address from the Vatican, Leo XIV praised the United States for having “opened its own doors to successive waves of immigrants, enabling them and their children to contribute to shaping the nation's future.”
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