Live from the Vatican, Pope Leo XIV will accept the National Constitution Center’s Liberty Medal in a broadcast on Independence Mall
Philadelphia is set to be the center of this summer’s 250th anniversary celebrations marking the Semiquincentennial, and Pope Leo XIV's participation is a major addition to the festivities.
Pope Leo XIV will be awarded the National Constitution Center’s Liberty Medal on July 3 and will deliver remarks from the Vatican broadcast live on Independence Mall, the Constitution Center announced Monday.
The public ceremony, where visitors will be able to hear the first pope from the United States speak live, will occur on the eve of the nation’s 250th birthday.
Philadelphia is set to be the center of this summer’s celebrations marking the Semiquincentennial, and the pope’s participation is a major addition to the festivities. The American-born pontiff’s decision to join the celebration is particularly noteworthy, as he has maintained distance from President Donald Trump’s administration ahead of the 250th anniversary.
“The Holy Father is deeply grateful to the National Constitution Centre for this prestigious award, in such a meaningful anniversary for the American People, as they are called to reflect on the 250 years of their history holding the Constitution of the United States and Liberty as hallmarks of their heritage for future generations,” the Press Office of the Holy See, which represents the pope, said in a news release from the Constitution Center.
The Liberty Medal, which has been presented by the nonpartisan Constitution Center since 2006, “recognizes individuals and organizations who strive to secure the blessings of liberty to people around the globe,” according to the release.
This year’s program — which will also be streamed online — will be presented in partnership with the City of Philadelphia and Wawa Welcome America.
Vince Stango, interim president and CEO of the Constitution Center, said in an interview that Pope Leo XIV is being awarded the medal for promoting the ideals of freedom of religion and conscience.
“Felt really fitting to do that this year and honor the first American pope, who he himself has ties to Philadelphia, could be particularly meaningful for this year’s event,” Stango said.
Leo, born Robert F. Prevost, graduated from Villanova University in 1977, and the pontiff showed his Villanova pride last year when he briefly switched out his traditional zucchetto for a Wildcats baseball cap given to him by the National Italian American Foundation during a Vatican visit.
His alma mater was “instrumental” in facilitating the Constitution Center’s outreach to the Vatican, Stango said.
The Vatican was a “quick yes,” Stango said.
“They clearly understood the connections that we’re trying to make and have just been a wonderful partner so far as we plan this event,” he said.
Previous recipients of the award include Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, the late U.S. Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, the late U.S. Sen. John McCain (R., Ariz.), and the late civil rights leader and U.S. Rep. John Lewis (D., Ga.).
Upon Pope Leo XIV’s election by the College of Cardinals last May to lead the world’s 1.4 billion Catholics, celebrations spanning from the pontiff’s hometown of Chicago to Villanova’s Catholic community erupted at the selection of the first American-born pope.
Leo has been thought of as a centrist who also holds progressive views on immigration and the environment similar to those of his predecessor, the late Pope Francis.
In recent months, the pope has criticized Trump on a variety of issues, including the president’s hostility toward leaders in Europe and the administration’s “inhuman treatment” of migrants. The pontiff also called for global peace on the heels of the United States’ capture of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, and he has lamented the deaths of children in the Iran war.
The Vatican also declined an invitation to join Trump’s Board of Peace, stating its preference to work through the United Nations.
Vice President JD Vance, who converted to Catholicism in 2019, personally delivered Leo an invitation to visit the White House this year, but the Vatican announced last month that the pope would not be traveling to the U.S. in 2026, Time magazine reported.
And that includes the Fourth of July.
A day after Leo’s voice rings out across a crowd of hundreds of visitors at Independence Mall on July 3, he will spend America’s birthday reaching out to the immigrant community. He will visit Lampedusa, a small Italian island located between Sicily and North Africa, where migrants and refugees from Africa and the Middle East enter Europe. The Mediterranean island is a stop on one of the deadliest migration routes in the world.
In a video message to the island’s volunteers in December, the pope expressed his wish to visit Lampedusa, saying: “There are thousands of faces and names of people who now live a better life, and will never forget your charity.”
“Many of them have in turn become workers for justice and peace, because good is contagious,” he said.