SÃO PAULO, Brazil – Pope Francis, who was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom by former President Joe Biden a few days before the end of his administration in January, sent the prize to the Buenos Aires Cathedral, where it was officially received with a special Mass on Mar. 13 and will now be exhibited in a museum.

Even though Biden’s reasons for honoring the pope had humanitarian nature – he mentioned in a previous conversation with Francis his gratitude for the pontiff’s work to alleviate global suffering, in defense of human rights and of religious liberty – politics may have played a relevant role for both of them in connection to the medal, in a time when their countries are being ruled by Donald Trump and Javier Milei.

The most important distinction awarded to civilians by the U.S. federal government, the Medal of Freedom had been granted to a pontiff only on one previous occasion, when former President George W. Bush gave it to Pope John Paul II in 2004.

On Dec. 20, Biden and Francis talked by phone about a number of subjects, especially human rights. The pope demonstrated his concerns about prisoners who were on death row in federal penal facilities in the U.S. Biden had decided to commute the sentences of 37 inmates from death penalty to life in prison, something that was announced on Dec. 23.

The two leaders should have met in the Vatican on Jan. 10, but the fires in California led Biden to cancel the visit. The following day, he told Francis during a phone talk that he would give him the distinction. He handed it to the apostolic nuncio to the U.S., Archbishop Christoph Pierre.

In a statement about the honor, the White House cited Pope Francis’s care for children, his invitation to struggle for peace and protect the planet, and his inter-religious efforts.

The ceremony of the reception of the medal in Buenos Aires occurred on the day that marked the 12th anniversary of Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio’s pontifical election.

Coincidently, it happened only one day after a massive protest of retirees against the insufficient adjustment of their pensions by Milei’s administration was met with fierce repression by the police, with more than a hundred people being detained and dozens of injured demonstrators. Even a priest, Father Francisco Olvera, was hit and threatened by agents.

If Biden and Trump present irreconcilable worldviews and had numerous occasions to show it, Francis and Milei may be even more distant when it comes to social and political ideas. While the pontiff has always advocated welfare policies for the poor, the ultra-libertarian leader’s platform is totally based on the idea of reducing the size and the spending of the State. Milei not only criticized but also insulted Francis on several occasions over their disagreements over the past years.

Biden’s award to the pope and the exhibition of it in Argentina are symbolic gestures of such discrepancies, according to analysts.

“The timing of President Biden’s decision to award the medal to Pope Francis in January 2025, after losing the election to Donald Trump, undeniably carries political significance,” Andrew Chesnut, a professor of religious studies at Virginia Commonwealth University, told Crux.

In his opinion, “by bestowing the medal in the final days of his administration, Biden was signaling resistance to the rightward political shift, reaffirming his administration’s alignment with Francis’s progressive moral vision for more just and equitable societies.”

“Unlike George W. Bush’s same medal bestowed upon John Paul II in 2004 – rooted in shared conservative values –, Biden’s recognition of the Argentine pontiff highlights their mutual commitment to climate action, social justice, and more inclusive and equitable societies, all areas where the pope clashes with Trump’s agenda,” he went on.

According to Carlos Custer, an Argentine labor union leader who was the South American country’s ambassador to the Holy See between 2003-2008, the pontiff has been worried about the rise of a “neo-liberal right-wing that has assumed fascist tones in some countries, groups that attack social rights and the idea of living together.”

“Trump’s policies have nothing to do with Francis’s ideas. Despite some differences between the pope and Biden – especially when it comes to war –, I think they have more things in common,” Custer told Crux. “The fact that Biden gave that medal to the pope means that many in the U.S. think like him.”

Sending the medal to the Cathedral of Buenos Aires is also a political gesture of Francis, considering that Milei and Trump have a close relationship and share many political ideas.

“Of course, it can be seen as a way of the Church to show its nonconformity with Milei’s decisions,” Fortunato Mallimaci, an expert in religion and a professor at the University of Buenos Aires, told Crux.

But society needs to see it in order to make it a political gesture, he added. At this point, Argentines are focusing much more on their political battles and their financial difficulties.

“Someone in the opposition can select that fact and exploit it politically. But that hasn’t been done yet,” Mallimaci said.