President Biden, a Catholic, awarded the medal with distinction to the pontiff, to whom he has turned for personal guidance.

President Joe Biden awarded Pope Francis the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the nation’s highest civilian honor, on Saturday from the White House after he missed a scheduled trip to the Vatican in order to monitor the wildfires that have been raging across Southern California.

COMMENTARY: Pope Francis, on Jan. 11, became the third pope to be given the highest civilian honor in the U.S.