Originally published at The Crux
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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 recognizing 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
