JUST IN: The Pope praises the “waves of immigrants” that built the United States in a message for its 250th anniversary | International
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Leo He did so this Friday afternoon when he received the Medal of Freedom from the National Constitutional Center of Philadelphia, through an intervention in English by videoconference, a profound plea in defense of the principles of the country’s founders, “brave men and women who dreamed of freedom and a better life for themselves and their children.” In a subtle but obvious way, and with the force of his moral authority, the Pope has almost come to sound the alarm about the crisis of those original values and the need to vindicate them. Precisely in the week in which the US Supreme Court has stopped Trump’s attempt to end the ius solis, the right to citizenship of all those born on American soil, a pillar of the country’s history. Robert Prevost has recalled the words of the Declaration of Independence of July 4, 1776: “All men and women are created equal and endowed by their Creator with certain inalienable rights, including the right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.” He has said that it is a “noble vision” that made the United States “synonymous with freedom, by opening its doors to successive waves of immigrants, allowing them and their children to play a fundamental role in building the future of the nation.” The Pontiff himself, 70 years old and born in Chicago, is the son of immigrants. His distance from Donald Trump, with whom he collided head-on last April, has been evident in his rejection of the White House’s invitation to visit the country this year, precisely on the occasion of the 250th anniversary. What’s more, the Pope will spend that day this Saturday with every intention on the island of Lampedusa, a symbol of the drama of immigration in the Mediterranean Sea, a sort of continuation of what he did in the Canary Islands last month. But with his speech this Friday he is already fully entering the commemorative day. “The moral greatness of a nation is manifested, above all, in its capacity to support, protect and value the lives of all, especially the most vulnerable and those whose value is questioned,” he warned. The Pontiff has praised the United States as the country of freedom, which it has also defended outside its borders in the two world wars. But he has clarified that freedom is not “the ability to act according to one’s own will.” “Authentic freedom is much deeper. It is based on the human capacity to know the truth and adhere to the good, even at a high price,” he pointed out. Leo XIV has expanded on his reflection until reaching the present day. “As every American knows, the path to building a society that embodied those high ideals of freedom and justice for all was not always easy and, in many ways, remains an ongoing task,” he reflected, without ever naming Trump. It is a battle, he noted, that must “be taken up in each generation.” And he called, next, to remember the founding principles of the nation “with the hope that the United States will always remain faithful to the dream that has earned it the title of land of the free and home of the brave.” Prevost has also mentioned the religious freedom that has always characterized his country and has shown his hope that “this tradition will continue to bear fruit in a public discourse characterized by moderation, respect for the opinions of others and a constant effort to find common ground to promote peace and reconciliation, both at a national and international level.” At the core of his speech has also been concern about the effects of political polarization on coexistence: “The principles that inspired the founders of the United States, rooted in the essence of the human person, united them in a single cause, a common dream (…) For a nation to prosper, it must be truly united; not by goals linked to momentary efforts, but by ideals that endure over time.” Of course, it couldn’t end any other way: “God bless America!”
International Perspective:
The situation could have broader implications for regional stability, international relations, and global markets.
Political and economic analysts are paying close attention to the potential consequences of these events.
Readers are encouraged to monitor future developments as the situation evolves.
Source: This article was originally published by Internacional en EL PAÍS and adapted for our international English-speaking audience.
Read the original article here.