In a post on X with a photo of Biden in the Oval Office with the medal, Biden lauded the pope as a “light of faith, hope, and love that shines brightly across the world,” adding that he was giving the award “with distinction,” a more prestigious honor. Biden himself received the same distinction from then-President Barack Obama in 2017.

The citation for the award described the pope as the “People’s Pope” whose “mission of serving the poor has never ceased.”

Biden was scheduled to be in Italy this weekend in what was to be his last foreign visit as president. The trip included meetings with Pope Francis, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. Following Biden’s visit to Los Angeles after wildfires caused widespread destruction to the Southern California city and the surrounding area, the White House announced the trip would not go on as planned and Biden would stay in the United States.

Although Biden has not met with Pope Francis in person since the summer of last year at the G7 summit, the pope called last month for the death sentences of U.S. federal inmates to be commuted, a move Biden made two weeks later. That decision led to considerable outrage from the public, including from President-elect Donald Trump, who vowed to use the Department of Justice to pursue the death penalty against “violent rapists, murderers, and monsters” once he takes office.

The award given to the pope follows a ceremony last weekend for 19 other recipients of the Presidential Medal of Freedom, not all of whom were looked on favorably. Along with a few celebrities, Biden gave the prestigious award to longtime Democratic megadonor George Soros and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.