VATICAN CITY (RNS) — Pope Leo XIV marked the United States’ 250th anniversary by calling his home country back to its founding ideals during a speech in which he defined liberty through protecting human life, welcoming immigrants and supporting religious freedom and interfaith cooperation — themes that cut across some of the country’s most divisive debates.
The pope delivered a pro-life and pro-immigrant message, stating that the strength of a country “is deeply tied to the value it affords to human life in every form and condition,” during his live virtual remarks to the National Constitution Center in Philadelphia on Friday (July 3).
The first U.S.-born pontiff, born in the suburbs of Chicago, acknowledged his roots “as a son of this great country.” He earned his bachelor’s degree in mathematics at Villanova University, about 12 miles west of Philadelphia.
Leo, who spoke from the Vatican, was honored at the event with the annual Liberty Medal in recognition of his work in advancing religious liberty and freedom of conscience. He addressed the gathering alongside figures including Philadelphia Archbishop Nelson J. Pérez and some of the city’s Muslim, Jewish, Black Protestant and Latino Christian leaders.
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In his speech, he said the right to life was the first to be enshrined by the U.S. founders and must continue to be cultivated today. Leo said that reverence for God’s gift of life is what “sways the hearts of individuals and inspires laws that recognize and safeguar …