By Jack Tomczuk<\/p>\n
The first American-born pope will be participating \u2013 at least remotely \u2013 in Philadelphia\u2019s celebration of the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence.<\/p>\n
Pope Leo XIV, leader of the worldwide Roman Catholic Church, will accept the National Constitution Center\u2019s Liberty Medal<\/a> on Friday, July 3, the organization announced this week. Leo is expected to deliver live remarks from the Vatican, which will be livestreamed to spectators on Independence Mall, officials said.<\/p>\n The center, in a news release, cited Leo\u2019s \u201clifelong work promoting religious liberty and freedom of conscience and expression around the world,\u201d and highlighted his role in fostering interfaith dialogue.<\/p>\n \u201cFrom its founding, America has understood liberty of conscience as essential to human freedom and self-government,\u201d NCC Board Chair Mike George said in a statement. \u201cPope Leo XIV\u2019s moral leadership and his defense of religious freedom and free expression embodies these enduring principles. Honoring him with the Liberty Medal affirms the universal power of these ideals and their relevance far beyond our borders.\u201d<\/p>\n Villanova University<\/a> \u201cplayed a critical role\u201d in the pontiff\u2019s selection and participation, the NCC said. Leo, a Chicago native born Robert Prevost, graduated from the Main Line college in 1977, and the College of Cardinals elected him as pope during a conclave<\/a> in May.<\/p>\n Archbishop Nelson J. P\u00e9rez, leader of Philadelphia\u2019s Catholic Church<\/a>, said he has worked alongside Leo on a number of initiatives over the years and is \u201cdeeply grateful and joyful\u201d that the pope will receive the Liberty Medal.<\/p>\n \u201cHis papacy, only about a year old, has already been a time marked by desire for genuine encounter with all people and filled with the compassionate love of Jesus Christ,\u201d Perez said in a statement. \u201cThat love is a pure one. It unconditionally embraces the stranger, the immigrant, the poor, the unhoused, the sick, those struggling with addiction, and all those in need. It does so without discrimination.\u201d<\/p>\n Leo reportedly turned down<\/a> a hand-delivered invitation from Vice President JD Vance to visit the United States to celebrate the nation\u2019s 250th birthday, also known as the Semiquicentennial. He is scheduled to spend July 4 in Lampedusa, an Italian island that is the entry point for many migrants crossing the Mediterranean Sea.<\/p>\n NCC representatives said the July 3 Liberty Medal ceremony will also feature \u201ccivic leaders, faith leaders, and members of the public to consider how America\u2019s founding ideals articulated 250 years ago continue to resonate in a global context today.\u201d<\/p>\n The medal has been awarded by Philadelphia institutions since 1988 and, for the past two decades, has been hosted by the Constitution Center<\/a>. Previous recipients have included Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Nelson Mandela, Muhammad Ali and Ruth Bader Ginsberg.<\/p>\n