Papa: "The US has opened up to migrants who have shaped the nation"

In his speech via video link at the delivery ceremony of the Liberty Medal a Filadelfia, Pope Leo XIV also called the immigration issue as an integral part of the history of United States and their national identity. The Pontiff recalled how, in the 250 years following its foundation, the country has become a point of reference for people from all over the world, thanks to the choice to open its doors to successive waves of migration.

“For so many people around the world,” the Pope said, “it was the firm determination to realize the noble vision of the nation’s founding fathers that made America synonymous with freedom, as the country opened its doors to successive waves of immigrants, allowing them and their children to help shape the nation’s future.”

In the same passage, Leo XIV underlined how this historical process also represented a factor of civil and political growth for the United States, capable of projecting itself beyond its borders in crucial moments of world history. “It was precisely this love of freedom – he added – that inspired the United States, in the darkest hours of the last century, at the time of the two world wars, to look beyond itself and, at the cost of great sacrifices, to defend the cause of freedom beyond its own borders”.

USA are united not by temporary objectives but by ideals

Finally, the Pope recalled the pluralist value of the origins of the American nation, highlighting the contribution of people of different origins, cultures and religions in the construction of a common identity. “The founding fathers of this country – he observed – men and women of different origins, religions and languages, were able to find that common ground and the strength necessary to pursue a better future”.

The unity of a nation cannot be based on contingent interests but on permanent values ​​capable of spanning time. This is the message addressed by Pope Leo. Recalling the motto “E pluribus unum”, the Pontiff recalled how the founding fathers of the United States, despite belonging to different cultures, languages ​​and religious traditions, were able to find common ground to build the future of the new nation.

“For a nation to prosper – he stated – it must be truly united, not by momentary objectives but by ideals that do not fade with the passage of time”. Leo Concluding his speech, the Pope entrusted the future of the nation “to Him who is the source of true freedom and lasting peace”, invoking God’s blessing on America.