Pope Leo praises US history of welcoming immigrants at 250th anniversary

• Pope Leo praised the US for its history of welcoming immigrants and urged Americans to uphold the ideals of unity, justice, and peace on the 250th anniversary.
• He called for laws that protect life from conception to natural death, emphasising a nation’s moral greatness in caring for the vulnerable.
• The pope encouraged unity based on enduring ideals and long-term solutions, without naming any political leaders, during his first major address to the US.

VATICAN CITY - Pope Leo praised the United States’ history of welcoming immigrants in his first major address to his home country on July 3, urging in a video appearance that Americans live up to the ideals in the Declaration of Independence.

The US pope, who has criticised President Donald Trump’s immigration policies as “inhuman”, said the word “America” had become a “byword for freedom” across the world because of the way the country welcomed immigrants.

In a speech he gave live from the Vatican to the National Constitution Centre in Philadelphia as he received the Centre’s Liberty Medal, Leo said he hoped that ideals of “unity, justice and peace” held by the Founding Fathers would guide the US as it celebrated its 250th anniversary.

“This historic anniversary presents us with the opportunity to reflect once again on the nation’s founding principles in the hope that America will remain ever true to the dream that has earned it the title of land of the free and home of the brave,” said the pope.

Leo, who is originally from Chicago but has not visited the US since becoming pope in May 2025, has previously sent a few video messages to local events in the US but not to a national audience.

The pope warned in June that history would condemn world leaders who treat immigrants harshly. He gave the address a day before he was due to travel to Lampedusa, an Italian island that has become a port of call for one of the world’s deadliest migration routes.

Pope urges US to unite around country’s ideals

Leo also urged the US in his speech to pass laws that “recognise and safeguard” life from conception until natural death.

“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,” said the pope.

Leo did not mention Trump or any other US political leader by name. He urged the US to be united and to work for long-term solutions to its problems.

“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,” he said.

The National Constitution Centre is a nonprofit organisation and museum. Its Liberty Medal honours people “who strive to secure the blessings of liberty to people around the globe.”

Previous awardees include former president George W. Bush and former first lady Laura Bush, former secretary of state Hillary Clinton, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and the Dalai Lama. REUTERS