President Joe Biden presented a Presidential Medal of Freedom with distinction on Saturday to the leader of his own church, Pope Francis.
Biden praised the Catholic leader for being a “light of faith, hope, and love that shines brightly across the world” in a social media post about the award.
“Pope Francis, your humility and your grace are beyond words, and your love for all is unparalleled,” Biden wrote.
The citation printed on the pope’s Presidential Medal of Freedom certificate highlights similar themes, arguing that “his mission of serving the poor has never ceased.”
“Pope Francis is unlike any who came before,” the citation says.
Religious leaders with Medals of Freedom
Pope Francis is the third pope to be awarded a Presidential Medal of Freedom, the United States’ highest civilian honor, and the second to receive the award with distinction.
Other religious leaders who have received Medals of Freedom include the Rev. Billy Graham and President Gordon B. Hinckley of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
Biden’s announcement about Pope Francis comes a week after he handed out 18 Medals of Freedom in a ceremony at the White House. George Romney was among those honored on Jan. 4, as the Deseret News reported.
Biden himself received the President Medal of Freedom with distinction eight years ago just before he and former President Barack Obama left office.
The pope is the only person to receive the award from Biden with distinction.
Biden and the pope
Biden was supposed to present the award to Pope Francis in person on Saturday, but he cancelled his trip to the Vatican amid the wildfire crisis in California.
What would have been a happy meeting became a phone call, per The Associated Press.
“The White House said Biden bestowed the award to the pope during a phone call in which they also discussed efforts to promote peace and alleviate suffering around the world,” the article said.
Biden and the pope have met several times since Francis was elected to the top role in the global Catholic Church in 2013, including during Biden’s first stint in the White House as vice president. They were together in June 2024 when both appeared at G7 Leaders’ Summit in Italy.
Beyond viewing the pope as a fellow political leader, Biden saw Francis as a moral adviser.
The two spoke last month days before Biden commuted the sentences of 37 of the 40 people on federal death row, per The New York Times.
