US President Biden awards Pope Francis the Presidential Medal of Freedom with Distinction

Washington DC: President Joe Biden on Sunday conferred Pope Francis with the Presidential Medal of Freedom with Distinction, recognising the Pope’s significant influence and contributions, just days before leaving the White House.

Taking to social media platform X (formerly Twitter), President Biden expressed his admiration for Pope Francis and called the leader of the Catholic Church the “People’s Pope.”

“Pope Francis, your humility and your grace are beyond words, and your love for all is unparalleled. As the People’s Pope, you are a light of faith, hope, and love that shines brightly across the world,” Biden said on X.

In a statement from the White House, it was stated that President Biden spoke with the Pope and named him as a recipient of the medal, which is the highest civilian honour in the United States. The award is given 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 endeavours.”

This was also the first time that Biden awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom with Distinction during his time at the White House, the statement added.

According to The Hill, President Biden, the second Catholic president in US history, had initially planned to visit Rome but cancelled the trip due to the ongoing wildfires in Los Angeles.

Biden had originally planned to travel to Italy on Thursday to meet the Pope and Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni for what would have been his final foreign trip as president, the Hill reported.

According to the Hill, the two leaders last met in June while Biden was in Italy for the G7 summit and also met in October 2021 when conservative Catholic bishops were considering whether Biden should be allowed to receive communion due to his pro-abortion rights position.