PHILADELPHIA (OSV News) -- Pope Leo XIV called the right to religious freedom "the cornerstone of any just society" in a message to a religious liberty law firm delivered June 11, underscoring religious liberty as especially significant during celebrations of the 250th anniversary of American independence.
At the Becket Fund for Religious Liberty's 2026 Canterbury Medal Gala held at the National Constitution Center near Independence Hall, Archbishop Nelson J. Pérez of Philadelphia read the message from the pontiff, in which Pope Leo told attendees, "Your presence attests to your commitment to defending religious liberty as an integral part of upholding human dignity."
"The efforts undertaken in this regard acquire particular significance as the United States of America prepares to celebrate the 250th anniversary of its foundation. Indeed, we can recognize in the Preamble to the Declaration of Independence an expression of the truth regarding the human person. Namely, the innate dignity of every man and woman, created by God in his own image and likeness, and the rights that stem therefrom," said Pope Leo's message, dated June 4.
In the nation's founding document, the signers held that "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness." The right to the "free exercise" of religion was later enacted in the First Amendment to the Constitution.
Pope Leo said that humanity's "capacity to know the truth gives rise to a moral obligation" to safeguard this right.
"Individuals and governments are thus impelled to recognize the right to religious freedom and their duty to respect this right as 'the cornerstone of any just society,'" the message said, quoting a papal message to another group from October 2025. "To fail to do so would gravely impede the flourishing of the human person and undermine the integrity of society as a whole."
The message praised the group for its "great efforts to defend this right, to the benefit of both individuals and larger communities."
"By ensuring that all men and women are free to act in conformity with the dictates of their conscience and to practice their faith openly, without coercion or fear, you work to safeguard the inviolable dignity of the human person," he said. "Indeed, it is precisely in recognizing and defending this dignity that we can hope to establish a society that continues to promote the authentic development of every individual."
At the event, Becket awarded its Canterbury Medal to William Mumma, the chairman of its board, for "boldly advancing our work to safeguard religious liberty."
