Pope Leo XIV rejected the idea that he or the church is in favor of open borders, saying countries have the right to "determine who and how and when people enter."
Pope Leo XIV urged Americans to embrace the U.S.'s history of welcoming immigrants in a virtual address to the National Constitution Center in Philadelphia on Friday while accepting the 2026 Liberty Medal in recognition of his commitment to religious freedom.
"In these past 250 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," Pope Leo, the Catholic church's first American Pope, recited.
"I would just like to recall the words signed by the founding fathers of the nation 250 years ago in Philadelphia in the Declaration of Independence. It said that we hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men have received fundamental rights from our creator, and they include life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness," he continued.
"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," Leo said.
Pope Leo XIV views a livestream from the U.S. National Constitution Center in Philadelphia as he is awarded the 2026 Liberty Medal during a private audience at the Apostolic Palace on July 3, 2026, in Vatican City, Vatican. (Simone Risoluti – Vatican Media via Vatican Pool/Getty Images)
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