(LifeSiteNews) — This summer, one day before the Fourth of July celebrations kick off in the United States, Pope Leo XIV will accept an award from the National Constitution Center in recognition of his “lifelong work promoting religious liberty and freedom of conscience and expression around the world.”
Instead of traveling to the U.S. to receive the honor, Leo will deliver a live video address from Rome. The event will take place on Independence Mall in Philadelphia, where he attended nearby Villanova University for his bachelor’s degree in the 1970s.
According to PBS, the Liberty Medal is given every year to persons “of courage and conviction” who promote liberty around the world. Past recipients include Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, the Dalai Lama, and pro-abortion Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg. Leo will be the 38th recipient of the award.
Instead of partaking in the celebration of America’s 250th anniversary this summer, Leo is scheduled for a visit to Spain, with stops expected in Madrid, Barcelona, and the Canary Islands. Africa is also on the horizon after Easter, alongside Algeria and others yet to be announced. On July 4, Leo is scheduled to visit the Sicilian island of Lampedusa.
The Vatican’s decision to not expound on why Leo won’t be visiting the U.S. this summer given that he was born in the country has caused some Catholics to speculate that there is a political calculation at play. For the past year, the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops has clashed with President Donald Trump on foreign affairs and immigration practices. A Leo visit could elevate the president’s public standing ahead of the midterm elections later this year, some have suggested.
Vince Stango, interim president of the National Constitution Center, announced that they are giving Leo the award “for his career as a consistent advocate for religious liberty, freedom of conscience, and human dignity.” Holy See press office director Matteo Bruni said Leo “is deeply grateful” for the honor.
News of the announcement came just days after U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz republished a social media essay that attacks conservative and Traditional Catholics. The essay specifically denounced, among other things, “Catholic integralism,” a phrase that has been understood differently by different persons but generally means a political arrangement in which the state will support the moral teachings of the Catholic Church.
Cruz and other Evangelical Protestants, including Eric Metaxas, have argued that Catholics who support “integralism” are un-American. The main thrust of their argument seems to be that there is a growing number of Catholics who do not support the state of Israel.
The Liberty Medal was established in 1988. The National Constitution Center began hosting the award in 2006.
