Pope Leo will accept the Liberty Medal in a remote broadcast from Rome
PHILADELPHIA — Pope Leo
Leo, the first American pope, will spend July 4 on the Sicilian island of Lampedusa, the arrival point for many desperate migrants trying to reach Europe from Africa.
He will be honored at Independence Mall on July 3 for “his lifelong work in support of religious liberty and freedom of conscience and expression around the world – ideals enshrined by America’s founders in the First Amendment,” the National Constitution Center said in a news release Monday.
The center awards the Medal of Freedom each year to someone “of courage and conviction” who promotes freedom around the world. Past recipients include Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg and U.S. Rep. John Lewis, the late civil rights leader.
Leo, born Robert F. Prevost, grew up in Chicago and attended Villanova University near Philadelphia, graduating in 1977.
He has a busy year of travel planned, including a grand tour of Italy and trips to four African countries. The Vatican has confirmed he will not visit the United States this year, despite an invitation from President Donald Trump.
Leo followed in his predecessor’s footsteps by highlighting the plight of migrants across the world.
Pope Francis made Lampedusa his first trip outside Rome after his 2013 election, when he celebrated Mass there on an altar made of wrecked migrant boats and denounced the “globalization of indifference” — a mantra that increased tensions with the first Trump administration.
Francis visited Philadelphia during a six-day trip across the United States in 2015.
