July 02, 2026
Provided Image/National Constitution Center
The National Constitution Center will present Pope Leo XIV with the Liberty Medal on Friday morning. The pope will give a virtual address from the Vatican discussing the global impact of America's founding principles.
Pope Leo XIV will be awarded with the Liberty Medal on Friday morning and give an acceptance address from the Vatican that will be livestreamed for an audience at the National Constitution Center.
The pontiff is scheduled to speak at 10:45 a.m. during an event that will include remarks from civic, interfaith and community leaders.
The speech can be viewed below at the YouTube page for the National Constitution Center, which awards the Liberty Medal to those who show courage and conviction in advancing freedom and human rights around the world.
Pope Leo, 70, became the first American to lead the Roman Catholic Church in May 2025, following the death of Pope Francis. The Chicago native and Villanova University graduate, born Robert Francis Prevost, was ordained as a priest in 1982 and rose to the rank of cardinal in 2023.
On Friday, Pope Leo is expected to discuss how America's founding principles resonate around the world. The National Constitution Center selected Pope Leo as this year's Liberty Medal recipient in March for his lifelong defense of human dignity, freedom of conscience and religious liberty. His selection also marks the nation's celebration of its 250th anniversary on Saturday.
The Liberty Medal was established in 1988 to commemorate the bicentennial of the U.S. Constitution. It originally was administered by the Philadelphia Foundation, the city of Philadelphia and the organizing committee of the National Constitution Center, which took over selecting winners and presenting the honor in 2006. The first medal was awarded to Lech Walesa, the leader of Poland's Solidarity movement, in 1989. Past recipients of the award include Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Sen. John McCain, Muhammad Ali, Mikhail Gorbachev, Nelson Mandela and Ken Burns.
Winners traditionally receive a commemorative medal and a $100,000 prize that is typically donated to a charity or foundation of the recipient's choosing.
Ken Stango, the Constitution Center's interim president and CEO, will be among the speakers at Friday's event.
"As the first American pope, (Pope Leo) brings to the global stage a perspective shaped by the American tradition of pluralism and religious freedom," Stango said in March.
In his first year at the Vatican, Pope Leo has been outspoken about using diplomacy to resolve conflicts in Ukraine, Gaza and Iran. He's also called for protecting the rights of immigrants and refugees, and he's been critical of widening wealth disparities around the world. The pope notably has clashed with President Donald Trump on several occasions, including over the war in Iran, mass deportations and the military use of artificial intelligence.
The annual presentation of the Liberty Medal is usually held in front of a crowd on Independence Mall. This year's event has been moved inside the Constitution Center due to the extreme heat in Philadelphia this week.
Other speakers at Friday's event include Rev. Nelson J. Pérez, Archbishop of Philadelphia; Imam Quaiser D. Abdullah, director of the Mayor's Office of Muslim Engagement; and Rev. Carolyn C. Cavaness, pastor of Mother Bethel AME Church.
