Pope Leo, the first US-born pope, praised the United States' history of welcoming immigrants during his first major address to his home country. Speaking via video from the Vatican to the National Constitution Center in Philadelphia, the pope urged Americans to live up to the ideals put forward in the Declaration of Independence.
While receiving the Center's Liberty Medal, Leo stated that successive waves of immigrants played a key role in shaping the United States. He noted that the word America had become a byword for freedom across the world because of the way the country welcomed migrants, whom he referred to as part of the noble vision of the Founding Fathers.
The address occurred as the nation celebrates its 250th anniversary. Pope Leo expressed hope that the ideals of unity, justice and peace held by the Founding Fathers would guide the U.S., providing an opportunity to reflect on founding principles so that America remains true to the dream that earned it the title of land of the free and home of the brave.
The pope's remarks also served as a rebuke to President Donald Trump, whose hardline anti-immigrant policies Leo criticized as inhuman. These statements have made the first US leader of the Roman Catholic church a target of the president.