Young residents take part during the homemade Fourth of July Parade in the Lanesville neighborhood of Gloucester, Massachusetts, July 4, 2026, the 250th anniversary of America. Photo: OSV News/Brian Snyder, Reuters. Pope Leo XIV marked the 250th anniversary of the independence of the United States on Saturday, with a letter extending his “heartfelt congratulations to all Americans” on the occasion and urging citizens to work together “toward a more perfect union” in the present.
Entrusting the country to Our Lady of the Immaculate Conception, patroness of the United States, the Chicago-born pope prays that the occasion “renew the shared commitment to the promise of freedom, justice, opportunity and democracy” in the country and its people.
In his letter, dated June 25 and sent from the Vatican, the pope offers a trenchant appeal for the protection of all human life and for the defense of human dignity, especially for migrants.
“Among the principles that have guided the development of this country,” Leo writes, “is the God-given dignity of every human life, each person being endowed with an inherent worth that calls for reverence, protection and care.”
“In this spirit,” he writes, “a full understanding of this dignity leads to recognising the importance of safeguarding human life from its beginning at conception until natural death.”
The pontiff says the principles and ideals that have informed the national life in history call all Americans to the task “of building a society in which the vulnerable, the suffering and the forgotten are always met with compassion, solidarity and love.”
The pontiff especially praises religious freedom as “among the most cherished” of principles informing the United States.
“Freedom of religion has long been central to the American promise,” Leo writes, “protecting both individual dignity and the peaceful coexistence of a diverse people.”
“This same freedom has permitted the Catholic Church to take root and flourish within the United States,” Leo further writes, “to the advantage not only of her own members, but of the entire nation.”
Leo noted the signal contributions of the Church and of the Catholic faithful to society in the United States, especially in the areas of education, healthcare, and more generally in the care of the poor and the least.
“As faithful sons and daughters of the Church,” the pontiff’s letter continues, “Catholics are called to imbue every dimension of their existence with the charity of Christ.”
Also in the letter, Leo XIV prays that “Americans honour the courage and vision of those who came before them by strengthening their communities, respecting their differences and working together toward a more perfect union.”