Outgoing US President Joe Biden awarded Pope Francis the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the White House announced on Saturday. Biden informed the Pope about the award during a telephone conversation. The American president was expected in Rome and the Vatican, but canceled the trip due to the fires in Los Angeles.
In the justification for awarding the medal to the Pope, it was emphasized that “Jorge Bergoglio served the voiceless and the weakest in Argentina” and “his mission of serving the poor never ended.”
He is “a loving pastor who happily answers children's questions about God, a motivating teacher who asks us to fight for peace and protect the planet,” it was noted.
Pope Francis during the general audience in St. Peter's Square in Vatican City, November 20, 2024.PAP/EPA/FABIO FRUSTACI
As the White House added, Pope Francis is an open-minded leader who “turns to various religions.” “As the first pope from the southern hemisphere, Francis is different from anyone who came before him. He is the people's pope: a light of faith, hope and love that shines all over the world,” says the justification.
America's highest civilian decoration
The Presidential Medal of Freedom, established in 1963 by John F. Kennedy, is the highest American civilian decoration awarded to citizens USA and foreign nationals for particularly outstanding contributions to the security or national interests of the United States, world peace, culture, and other significant achievements in the public and private spheres.
Main photo source: PAP/EPA/FABIO FRUSTACI