Words Worth Remembering: A son of this great country
The speech was substantial, not ceremonial. Speaking from the Vatican on the evening of July 3—the day before the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence—Chicago’s own Robert Francis Prevost, now styled Pope Leo XIV, addressed those gathered in Philadelphia at the National Constitution Center, accepting the organization’s Liberty Medal.
“As a son of this great country, founded by courageous men and women who dreamed of liberty and of a better life for themselves and for their children, I join you in asking God’s blessings upon America’s future, that the lofty ideals enshrined at the beginning of the Declaration of Independence may continue to guide the flourishing of the nation in unity, justice and peace,” Pope Leo XIV said, wearing the Liberty Medal and its red, white, and blue ribbon beside his pectoral cross, addressing an interfaith audience representing diverse faith traditions.
He then cut to the core of both his interpretation of the Declaration and that of great Americans from Thomas Jefferson to Abraham Lincoln, from Frederick Douglass to Martin Luther King, Jr.: “While couched in the language of the Enlightenment, that claim is ultimately grounded in an understanding of the human person inspired by the great biblical vision of man and woman being created in the divine image. It is indeed here that we discover the basis of human dignity; dignity which precedes the establishment of any State, and whose custody constitutes its very purpose.”
America was more than a nation created for itself—it was always, as Thomas Paine believed, a nation founded on ideals determined “to begin the world anew.” Such is how the Catholic pontiff described America at 250.
“In these past two-hundred and fifty years, for so many peoples throughout the world, it was the firm resolve to achieve the noble vision of the nation’s founders that made America a byword for freedom, as the country opened its doors to successive waves of immigrants, enabling them and their children to play their part in shaping the future of the nation,” he said. “It was this same love of freedom that inspired the United States, in the darkest hours of the last century, to look beyond itself and, at great sacrifice, to champion the cause of freedom beyond its own borders.”
A nation born of high ideals would struggle to realize them—“and, in many respects, is still a work in progress,” he said. “The effort to realize this vision is one that must be taken up anew in each generation and in the face of ever new challenges.”
It is commonplace to speak of America as a place where the rights to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness are cherished. But there must be a deeper understanding of those rights. In Pope Leo’s words, “A country’s vitality is deeply tied to the value it affords to human life in every form and condition, acknowledging the dignity endowed upon every human person by virtue of their very existence.”
Quoting Psalm 139:14, Pope Leo advised that Americans “stand in reverence before so precious a gift” as human life—reverence that “will aid us in discovering that we are guardians and stewards of those entrusted to our care,” for “the moral greatness of a nation is manifested, above all, in its capacity to support, protect and cherish the lives of all, especially the most vulnerable and those whose worth is questioned.”
Liberty, too, “was and is preeminent among the principles revered by the men and women who have sought within this nation’s borders a new beginning.” But though often “understood as the ability to act as one would like, authentic freedom runs much deeper. It is founded upon the human person’s capacity to know the truth and adhere to what is good, even at great cost.
“The forebears of this country, men and women of diverse backgrounds, religions and languages, were able to find that common ground and the strength necessary to pursue a better future,” Pope Leo concluded. “Unity lent strength to that dream, giving rise, under God, to the United States of America. E pluribus unum—out of many, one. In order for a nation to flourish, it must be truly united; united not by goals bound to momentary endeavors, but by ideals that do not fade with the passing of time.”
At a time when the words coming from the presidency do not reflect what Franklin Roosevelt called “a place of moral leadership,” Pope Leo’s speech reminded us that some leaders still grasp what is true, good, and right. On the eve of the nation’s 250th anniversary, it was not an American president who reminded the country of its soul—but the first American pope, who, in that moment, said what needed to be said, and did so with unarmed grace.