It is usual for the Pope to reject the decorations proposed to him by other heads of state, but this weekend he made an exception with the proposal he received from Washington.
Francisco received a farewell phone call from the Oval Office on Saturday. The still tenant of the White House, Joe Biden, wanted to apologize for having canceled the trip he had planned to take this weekend to the Vatican due to the fires in Los Angeles, thank him for the relationship of these years and inform him that he awards the “Presidential Medal of Freedom, with Distinction,” the highest civilian decoration in the United States.
Biden explained the reasons on social networks, where he published a photo with the Pope’s nuncio in Washington, Cristophe Pierre. «As ‘Pope of the People’, you are a light of faith, hope and love that shines brightly throughout the world. “His humility and kindness are beyond words, and his love for everyone is incomparable.” The Vatican has not released Pope Francis’ response.
The Pope accepted it as a farewell gesture with Joe Biden, who for the first and only time in his presidency has awarded this medal with the degree of “distinction.” But he has probably also done so because Biden wants to underline the good fruits of working closely with the Pope. It is a message for his successor, since on December 20, Donald Trump appointed Catholic lobbyist Brian Burch, who has been critical of the Pontiff, as ambassador to the Holy See.
The White House has explained that the Presidential Medal of Freedom “is awarded to individuals who have contributed in an exemplary manner to the prosperity, values or security of the United States, world peace, or other important social, public or private efforts.” .
Like John XXIII
In the minutes, he highlights that “for decades, (Pope Francis) has served the voiceless and vulnerable throughout Argentina,” and that “as Pope, his mission to serve the poor has never ceased.” He presents him as a “caring pastor who joyfully answers children’s questions about God”, a “challenging teacher who orders us to fight for peace and protect the planet”, a “welcoming leader who reaches out to different religions” ». He says that he is the “first Pope of the southern hemisphere”, and perhaps without bad intentions he adds that “he is not like any of the previous” pontiffs.
However, Francis is not the first Pope to receive this decoration. It was awarded posthumously by Lyndon B. Johnson in 1963 to John XXIII, and received by George W. Bush in June 2004 to John Paul II at the Vatican. “May the desire for freedom, peace and a more humane world that this medal symbolizes inspire men and women of good will in all times and places,” the pontiff then responded.
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