Pope Leo will accept the Liberty Medal in a remote broadcast from Rome

By: Maryclaire Dale, The Associated Press Posted:

Advertisement

Advertise with us

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Pope Leo XIV will accept the Liberty Medal in Philadelphia on the eve of July 4 in a remote broadcast from Rome but won’t travel to the U.S. during its 250th birthday celebrations this year.

Read this article for free:


or

Already have an account? Log in here »

To continue reading, please subscribe:

Subscribe and receive a limited-edition Free Press branded hat or tote.

Digital Subscription

One year of digital access for only $205*

  • Enjoy unlimited reading on winnipegfreepress.com
  • Read the E-Edition, our digital replica newspaper
  • Access News Break, our award-winning app
  • Play interactive puzzles

*First annual payment billed as $205.00 + GST for one year. This annual subscription will automatically renew at $233.00 + GST every 52 weeks (10% off the regular annual price of $259.35). Offer available to new and qualified returning subscribers only. Cancel any time.

To continue reading, please subscribe:

Add Free Press access to your Brandon Sun subscription for only an additional

$1 for the first 4 weeks*

  • Enjoy unlimited reading on winnipegfreepress.com
  • Read the E-Edition, our digital replica newspaper
  • Access News Break, our award-winning app
  • Play interactive puzzles
Start now

*Your next Brandon Sun subscription payment will increase by $1.00 and you will be charged $17.95 plus GST for four weeks. After four weeks, your payment will increase to $24.95 plus GST every four weeks.

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 16/03/2026 (208 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Pope Leo XIV will accept the Liberty Medal in Philadelphia on the eve of July 4 in a remote broadcast from Rome but won’t travel to the U.S. during its 250th birthday celebrations this year.

Leo, the first American pope, will instead spend the Fourth of July on the Sicilian island of Lampedusa, the arrival point for many desperate migrants trying to reach Europe from Africa.

He will be honored on Independence Mall on July 3 for “his lifelong work promoting religious liberty and freedom of conscience and expression around the world — ideals enshrined by America’s founders in the First Amendment,” the National Constitution Center said in a press release Monday.

FILE - Pope Leo XIV holds his weekly general audience in St. Peter's Square at The Vatican, Wednesday, March 11, 2026. (AP Photo/Gregorio Borgia, File)
FILE - Pope Leo XIV holds his weekly general audience in St. Peter's Square at The Vatican, Wednesday, March 11, 2026. (AP Photo/Gregorio Borgia, File)

The center awards the Liberty Medal each year to someone “of courage and conviction” who promotes liberty around the world. Past recipients include Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg and U.S. Rep. John Lewis, the late civil rights leader.

Leo, born Robert F. Prevost, was raised in Chicago and attended Villanova University near Philadelphia, graduating in 1977.

He has a busy year of travel planned, including a grand tour of Italy and trips to four African nations. The Vatican has confirmed he will not travel to the United States this year, despite an invitation from President Donald Trump.

Leo has followed in his predecessor’s footsteps in highlighting the plight of migrants around the world.

Pope Francis had made Lampedusa his first trip outside Rome after his 2013 election, when he celebrated Mass there on an altar made of shipwrecked migrant boats and denounced the “globalization of indifference”— a mantra that increased tensions with the first Trump administration.

Francis visited Philadelphia during a six-day trip across the U.S. in 2015.

Advertisement Advertise With Us

Report Error Submit a Tip

The Free Press acknowledges the financial support it receives from members of the city’s faith community, which makes our coverage of religion possible.

Advertisement

Learn more about Winnipeg Free Press Advertising solutions

More Stories

Manitoba worker dead after fall from roof

Matthew Frank 3 minute read Thursday, Oct. 8, 2026

The province is investigating after a worker died on the job after falling off a roof last month.

The worker, who was employed by Winnipeg-based Pristine Roofing & Siding, was critically injured on Sept. 22 after falling from a roof during a residential re-roofing project in the Rural Municipality of St. Andrews, a provincial spokesperson said in an email.

The man later died.

The investigation is ongoing, and no other information will be provided, the spokesperson said Thursday.

DARRYL DYCK /THE CANADIAN PRESS FILES Chickens at a poultry farm in Abbotsford, B.C. Canadian per capita consumption of chicken has increased to one kilogram per person.

Protein crests current appetite wave

Laura Rance-Unger 4 minute read Preview

Protein crests current appetite wave

Laura Rance-Unger 4 minute read 2:01 AM CDT

Holiday feasts often reflect the latest fads and trends influencing how we eat.

This Thanksgiving’s table is likely to feature more Canadian content than it might otherwise as a point of national pride.

In the recent past, the carb-free craze has made cauliflower a substitute for the mashed potatoes on some family spreads. Some have gone meatless, while others have added more. Still others offer gluten-free, dairy-free or fat-free alternatives.

Nowadays, it seems consumers can’t get enough protein. Desmond Sobool, deputy chief economist Farm Credit Canada, told a recent economic update for the agri-food sector there are two converging influences in play.

Read
2:01 AM CDT
The New York Times Elon Musk

Musk’s meddlesome trolling

Editorial 4 minute read Preview

Musk’s meddlesome trolling

Editorial 4 minute read 2:01 AM CDT

It seems obvious the world’s first trillionaire thought he was helping separatists within the Canadian federation when he encouraged three provinces — Alberta, Saskatchewan and Quebec — to leave Canada.

Unfortunately for Elon Musk, a man suffering from a profound deficit of self-awareness, his comments may only help those who want to keep the country together.

Musk entered the national unity debate on Wednesday, two days after the pro-independence Parti Quebecois was returned to power in Quebec with a minority mandate. The PQ has promised to hold a third referendum on separation at some point in its current term.

Musk — who has a Canadian mother and attended university in Ontario — took to X, the social media platform formerly known as Twitter (which he owns) and encouraged Quebec to forge ahead with plans to separate. He said Alberta — which will hold a vote this fall on whether to hold a binding referendum on separation — and Saskatchewan should follow suit.

Read
2:01 AM CDT
MIKE DEAL / FREE PRESS FILES Two nurses working at the Grace Hospital have been fined $2,500 each and reprimanded for an IV infusion gone bad and an attempted coverup.

Nurses disciplined for botched IV infusion

Nicole Buffie 3 minute read Preview

Nurses disciplined for botched IV infusion

Nicole Buffie 3 minute read Thursday, Oct. 8, 2026

Two nurses working at the Grace Hospital have been reprimanded and fined $2,500 each for an IV infusion gone bad and an attempted coverup.

The incident happened on November 23, 2023 when a nurse asked a colleague to set up an IV infusion on him in an unused operating room.

During the attempted IV start, the nurse lost consciousness. The nurse who attempted the IV drip and another who was in the room called for help and several staff responded.

The nurse regained consciousness and vomited, but recovered and continued to work his shift, a March 18 decision by the College of Registered Nurses of Manitoba says.

Read
Thursday, Oct. 8, 2026

Bit of creepy consultation could go a long way

Maureen Scurfield 5 minute read Yesterday at 2:01 AM CDT

DEAR MISS LONELYHEARTS: Halloween has always been my favourite time of year. I do my house up with lots of spooky lighting and characters on the lawn with eerie sounds booming out.

But last year I got seriously hassled by some people in the neighbourhood who thought it was too creepy. How do I get them on board this year? I don’t want to fight with them again.

— Want to Be Good Neighbour, River Heights

Dear Good Neighbour: Go to your close neighbours and explain what you want to do with your yard for Halloween this year, and also provide them with a firm time by which the celebrating will wrap up and things can quiet down.

Police on scene at Fairmont hotel construction site

1 minute read Updated: Yesterday at 12:19 AM CDT

At least three police cars were present at the under-construction Fairmont Winnipeg Thursday evening.

The nature of the response was unclear, but officers were guiding traffic outside of the construction zone at 2 Lombard Place while the response was underway. At 6:50 p.m., traffic was flowing normally.

Security on site provided no information on the response, but an individual working behind site fencing told the Free Press there’d be no comment from anyone on site as to why police were on scene at this time.

An SUV with a Government of Manitoba logo on its side was also present alongside personnel from Manitoba Workplace Safety and Health. However, it’s unknown if it’s connected to the police response.