Pope Leo XIV, the first U.S.-born pontiff, will accept an award on July 3 from the National Constitution Center in recognition of his “lifelong work promoting religious liberty and freedom of conscience and expression around the world,” the center announced today.

The pope is expected to deliver his acceptance remarks over videolink from the Vatican; they will be streamed as part of a public ceremony that will take place in front of Independence Hall in Philadelphia, where the Declaration of Independence and U.S. Constitution were signed.

The event comes one day before the 250th anniversary of the country’s founding. Although Pope Leo had been invited last May to visit the United States for this anniversary year, the Vatican confirmed in January that he would not visit. (It is standard Vatican practice that popes do not visit countries that are holding elections in the same calendar year, as the visit could be seen as a political endorsement.) In February, the Vatican announced Pope Leo would visit Lampedusa on July 4th; that Italian island that has become a gateway for thousands of migrants seeking to enter Europe.

The award, the Liberty Medal, was established in 1988 and recognizes “individuals and organizations who strive to secure the blessings of liberty to people around the globe.” Its recent recipients include Ron Chernow, Ken Burns, Judy Woodruff, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Ruth Bader Ginsberg, John McCain, John Lewis, the Dalai Lama and Malala Yousafzai. It has been hosted by the National Constitution Center, a nonpartisan constitutional education nonprofit, since 2006.

The Center stated that Pope Leo’s emphases on freedom of conscience and religious liberty “closely align with constitutional protections guaranteed by the First Amendment” and that his commitment to interreligious dialogue “reflects a broader moral vision that frames religious liberty not as an abstract right, but as a lived expression of human dignity, particularly for marginalized communities.”

“As the first American pope, Pope Leo XIV brings a distinctive perspective shaped by democratic ideals and a lifelong commitment to promoting interfaith dialogue,” the Center said in a press release this morning.

“From its founding, America has understood liberty of conscience as essential to human freedom and self-government,” said Mike George, chair of the National Constitution Center’s Board of Trustees. “Pope Leo XIV’s 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.”

Matteo Bruni, director of the Holy See Press Office, said that Pope Leo “is deeply grateful to the National Constitution Center for this prestigious award, in such a meaningful anniversary for the American people.”

The ceremony will be streamed live online and will be broadcast by Comcast NBCUniversal. Organizers of the award ceremony include the City of Philadelphia, Wawa Welcome America and Villanova University, the pope’s alma mater.

Colleen Dulle is the Vatican Correspondent at America and co-hosts the "Inside the Vatican" podcast. She is the author of Struck Down, Not Destroyed: Keeping the Faith as a Vatican Reporter (Image, 2025).