Pope Leo urges US to welcome immigrants in America 250 speech before visiting global migrant hotspot

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 o