Fr. Raymond J. de Souza: The Catholic Roots of the Presidential Medal of Freedom
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US President George W. Bush presents the Presidential Medal of Freedom to Pope John Paul II during a visit to the Vatican in Rome, Italy in June 2004. Date June 2004 (4 June 2004, according to Exif data). Source White House photo by Eric Drape. This file is a work of an employee of the Executive Office of the President of the United States, taken or made as part of that person's official duties. As a work of the U.S. federal government, it is in the public domain.
By Father Raymond J. de Souza, National Catholic Register,
Father Raymond J. de Souza is the founding editor of Convivium magazine.
COMMENTARY: Pope Francis, on Jan. 11, became the third pope to be given the highest civilian honor in the U.S.
Careful observers of papal-presidential relations were mildly surprised when President Joe Biden did not include Pope Francis in his final list of Presidential Medal of Freedom recipients on Jan. 4.
Alongside the Congressional Gold Medal, which is voted upon by both the House of Representatives and the Senate, the Presidential Medal of Freedom is the nation’s highest civilian honor.
Biden awarded it in 2022 to Sister of Social Service Simone Campbell (2022) of “Nuns on the Bus” fame, and Jesuit Father Greg Boyle, who worked with troubled youth in Homeboy Industries. It would follow that a Catholic president who has given the medal to Catholic leaders would do the same with the Holy Father. …
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Vaticano_Mater_Ecclesiae. Deutsch: Darstellung Marias mit dem Kind an einer Fassade des Apostolischen Palastes in Rom; Bildunterschriften: "totus tuus" (lat., "ganz dein") und "Mater Ecclesiae" (lat., "Mutter der Kirche"); Wappen: Papstwappen Johannes Pauls II., das "M" steht für "Maria"... Date: May 2008. Author: Johannes Joas; cropped & shifted by Rabanus Flavus. ... Public domain I, the copyright holder of this work, release this work into the public domain.
