Offering a sincere greeting, the Holy Father said that \u201cfrom our youth, most of us have admired the eloquence of those words, \u2018inalienable rights,\u2019 with their resounding appeal to the law of nature and to nature\u2019s God as the basis of their assertion that all men and women are created equal and endowed by their Creator with certain inalienable rights, including the right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.\u201d<\/p>\n
![\"Pope](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/TMC-L-OPED-RELIG-POPE-SLAVERY-01.jpg\")
Pope Leo XIV gestures as he delivers his speech during his weekly general audience in St. Peter\u2019s Square at The Vatican on June 3, 2026.<\/p>\n
\u201cOver the past 250 years, it was the firm resolve to achieve the noble vision of the nation\u2019s founders that made America \u2018a byword for freedom,\u2019 as the country opened its doors to successive waves of immigrants, enabling them and their children to help shape the nation\u2019s future.\u201d<\/p>\n
He observed \u201cthat this same love of freedom inspired the United States, in the darkest hours of the last century, during the two world wars, \u2018to look beyond itself and, at great sacrifice, champion the cause of freedom beyond its own borders.\u2019<\/p>\n
\u201cAs every American knows, however, the path to building a society embodying those high ideals of liberty and justice for all was not always easy and, in many respects, remains a work in progress that must be taken up anew in each generation and in the face of ever new challenges.\u201d<\/p>\n
Looking to the future, the Holy Father said \u201cthis historic anniversary presents an opportunity to reflect once again on the nation\u2019s founding principles, expressing hope that America will remain true to the dream that has earned it the title of the \u2018land of the free and home of the brave.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n
Turning to liberty, the Pope reflected \u201cthat it has always been among the principles most cherished by those seeking a new beginning within America\u2019s borders, often representing previously undreamed of hope.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe desire for truth and freedom, as well as the very pursuit of happiness,\u201d he said, \u201ccontinues to inspire people of all generations to ask fundamental questions regarding the meaning of life, our ultimate purpose, and indeed about God, and it is proper for magnanimous hearts to endeavor to answer these questions with sincerity.\u201d<\/p>\n
Recalling that America\u2019s forebears came from diverse backgrounds, religions, and languages, he noted \u201cthat they nevertheless found common ground and the strength to pursue a better future.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThe principles which inspired America\u2019s founders, rooted as they are in the truth of the human person, brought them together in a single cause, a common dream.<\/p>\n
\u201cUnity lent strength to that dream, giving rise, under God, to the United States of America. \u2018\u0112 pl\u016bribus \u016bnum \u2013 out of many, one.\u2019<\/p>\n
\u201cFor a nation to flourish, it must be united not merely by temporary goals but by enduring ideals.<\/p>\n
\u201cIn accepting this award, I therefore pray that this, the 250th anniversary of the founding of this great nation, may be the occasion of a solemn recommitment to these ideals that have made America a country which values peace and prosperity, a country characterized by generosity and nobility of heart.\u201d<\/p>\n
Commending those gathered at the National Constitution Center and dedicating the future of the United States \u201cto the One who is Himself the source of true freedom and lasting peace, the One whose very name is Peace,\u201d Pope Leo concluded, \u201cMay God bless America!\u201d<\/p>\n
Mary Brown is a weekly columnist for Main Line Media News.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"At the start of the July 4th weekend and during the AMERICA 250 celebrations, Philadelphia was buzzing with…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":9155,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[8],"tags":[182,139,1559,28,69,71,70,199],"class_list":["post-236820","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-philadelphia","tag-local-news","tag-news","tag-opinion","tag-pennsylvania","tag-philadelphia","tag-philadelphia-headlines","tag-philadelphia-news","tag-top-stories-mlt"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/236820","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=236820"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/236820\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/9155"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=236820"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=236820"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=236820"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}