By CatholicVote | Created at 2025-01-13 03:37:33 | Updated at 2025-01-13 08:47:50
5 hours ago
CV NEWS FEED // As one of his last acts in office, outgoing President Joe Biden this weekend awarded Pope Francis the Presidential Medal of Freedom with Distinction. Biden is set to leave office one week from Monday.
The Biden White House stated in a Saturday news release that the departing president that day “spoke with His Holiness Pope Francis and named him as a recipient of the Presidential Medal of Freedom with Distinction.”
“This is the first time that President Biden has awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom with Distinction,” the release added. It noted that the medal “is the Nation’s highest civilian honor, presented to individuals who have made exemplary contributions to the prosperity, values, or security of the United States, world peace, or other significant societal, public or private endeavors.”
“As a young man, Jorge Bergoglio sought a career in science before faith led him to a life with the Jesuits,” the White House continued. “As Pope Francis, his mission of serving the poor has never ceased. A loving pastor, he joyfully answers children’s questions about God. A challenging teacher, he commands us to fight for peace and protect the planet.”
“A welcoming leader, he reaches out to different faiths,” the release stated. “The first pope from the Southern Hemisphere, Pope Francis is unlike any who came before. Above all, he is the People’s Pope – a light of faith, hope, and love that shines brightly across the world.”
Today, President Biden spoke with His Holiness Pope Francis and named him as a recipient of the Presidential Medal of Freedom with Distinction.
For decades, Pope Francis served the voiceless and vulnerable across Argentina. As a loving pastor, he joyfully answers children's… pic.twitter.com/qOP61r6BjE
The National Catholic Register noted that Biden had initially planned to travel to Rome and meet with Pope Francis in person Friday, but canceled the trip “in order to address the ongoing deadly wildfires in California.”
Biden’s scheduled meeting with the pontiff was to be the first time the two men met face-to-face since June 2024 and “was set to focus on efforts to advance peace around the world,” the Register added. “Biden was also scheduled to meet with Italian President Sergio Mattarella and Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni.”
As of Sunday, Biden has awarded 20 Presidential Medals of Freedom this month alone, but only the one given to Pope Francis was with added Distinction.
Other January 2025 recipients of the medal from the outgoing president include failed 2016 Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton and left-wing billionaire George Soros.
Notably, the last person to receive a Presidential Medal of Freedom with Distinction before Francis was Biden himself in 2017.
Biden, who at the time was the outgoing vice president, received the award from then-President Barack Obama just over a week before he left office.
