Pope Leo XIV calls on US to recommit to unity while accepting Liberty Medal
Pope Leo XIV celebrated his country’s 250th birthday and received the 2026 Liberty Medal from the National Constitution Center. As the first American pope, he has expressed his views on U.S. policies and values during his first year, including calling for peace amid tensions in the Middle East.In his speech at the national Constitution center, he emphasized the importance of unity, rooted in the founding principles of America and the idea of “E pluribus unum” – out of many, one. Despite prior disagreements with the Trump administration, relations have improved, exemplified by meetings such as that with Secretary of State Marco Rubio. The Pope’s message linked the American founding’s ideals too contemporary efforts for peace and unity.He also expressed a desire for continued blessings on America’s future and praised the nation’s enduring pursuit of liberty,exemplified by recent award recipients like Zelensky and notable Americans.
Pope Leo XIV preached a message of unity as he celebrated his home country’s 250th birthday while receiving the National Constitution Center’s 2026 Liberty Medal.
Pope Leo is the first American to be elected pontiff and has given his two cents on U.S. policy and values from the Vatican throughout his first year. He has had a tenuous relationship with President Donald Trump, as the pontiff has called for world peace and unity throughout the U.S.-Israeli war with Iran, saying the conflict was fueled by a “demonic cycle of evil.”
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The Pope continued to preach his message of peace on Friday, tying unity to the story of America’s founding.
“The principles that inspired America’s founders, rooted as they are in the truth of the human person, brought them together in a single cause, a common dream,” the Pope said during his Friday speech broadcast at the National Constitution Center. “Unity lent strength to that dream, giving rise, under God, to the United States of America. E pluribus unum: out of many, one.”
Despite the Pope’s spat with the Trump administration over the Iran war — after Trump called him “terrible for Foreign Policy” and “weak on Nuclear Weapons” — relations between the Vatican and the administration have steadied. Secretary of State Marco Rubio visited Leo in May in a meeting that “underscored the strong relationship between the United States and the Holy See and their shared commitment to promoting peace and human dignity,” a State Department spokesperson said.
The Pope focused on these themes in his speech, which was broadcast in Philadelphia from the Vatican ahead of the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence’s signing.
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“As a son of this great country, founded by courageous men and women who dreamed of liberty and of a better life for themselves and for their children, I join you in asking God’s blessings upon America’s future — that the lofty ideals enshrined at the beginning of the Declaration of Independence may continue to guide the flourishing of the nation in unity, justice, and peace,” Pope Leo said on Friday.
Pope Leo was the 38th recipient of the award, which honors people “who strive to secure the blessings of liberty for people around the globe.” Recent recipients of the award include Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, historian Ken Burns, and former Supreme Court Justices Anthony M. Kennedy and Ruth Bader Ginsburg.
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