Celebrating Our 2025 Honorees

Martin Sheen is widely recognized for his powerful work as an actor and his lifelong commitment to peace, justice, and human dignity. Over a career spanning more than six decades, he has used his platform to bring attention to critical global issues including nuclear disarmament, civil rights, environmental protection, and the defense of marginalized communities.

Sheen is best known for his roles in landmark films such as Apocalypse Now, Badlands, and The Way, as well as his Emmy-winning portrayal of President Josiah Bartlet on the acclaimed television series The West Wing. His performances have earned him numerous awards and honors, including a Golden Globe and multiple Emmy nominations. Throughout his career, Sheen has balanced mainstream success with a deep personal commitment to activism.

With a strong belief in nonviolence, Sheen has long been a leading voice for nuclear disarmament. He participated in protests at the Nevada Test Site, Los Alamos National Laboratory, Vandenberg Air Force Base, and other nuclear weapons facilities, often engaging in nonviolent civil disobedience. He has been arrested more than 60 times in connection with peace demonstrations. In 2013, Sheen delivered a keynote at the International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons (ICAN) Civil Society Forum in Oslo, where he called for the total elimination of nuclear weapons.

In addition to his disarmament advocacy, Sheen has supported labor rights, immigration reform, opposition to the death penalty, and action on climate change. He has collaborated with organizations such as the Catholic Worker Movement, the Plowshares movement, and the United Farm Workers, and has narrated or appeared in numerous documentaries on peace and social justice.

Sheen has received several honorary degrees, including from the University of Notre Dame and Loyola Marymount University, in recognition of his public service and moral leadership. He was named a recipient of the Laetare Medal—Notre Dame’s highest honor—for his commitment to faith and justice.

A native of Dayton, Ohio, Sheen was born Ramón Antonio Gerardo Estévez and has proudly retained his birth name in his personal life. He is the father of four children, including actors Emilio Estevez and Charlie Sheen, and continues to act in film and television while remaining active in causes for peace.

We are honored to award Martin Sheen the 2025 Daniel Ellsberg Lifetime Achievement Award.

Pope Francis (1936–2025) served as the 266th pope of the Roman Catholic Church from March 2013 until his death in April 2025. Born Jorge Mario Bergoglio in Buenos Aires, Argentina, he was the first pope from the Americas and the first Jesuit to assume the papacy. Prior to his election, he served as Archbishop of Buenos Aires and was made a cardinal in 2001 by Pope John Paul II. From 2005 to 2011, he also led the Bishops’ Conference of Argentina.

Taking his papal name from Saint Francis of Assisi, he emphasized humility, compassion, and service to the poor throughout his papacy. Time magazine named him Person of the Year in 2013. A vocal advocate for environmental stewardship, migration justice, and interfaith dialogue, Pope Francis was also a consistent and outspoken proponent of peace and nuclear disarmament.

He strongly supported the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPNW), calling its vision “courageous” and “ever more timely.” In a message to the First Meeting of States Parties to the TPNW, he urged the international community to reject “short-sighted approaches to national and international security” and warned of the grave risks posed by nuclear proliferation. Under his leadership, the Holy See became one of the earliest and most active state parties to the Treaty, reflecting his broader moral vision for a world free of nuclear weapons.

Pope Francis passed in April 2025 at the age of 88. His legacy endures in the Catholic Church’s strengthened commitment to peace, justice, and a nuclear-weapons-free world. We are honored to posthumously award Pope Francis the Distinguished Peace Leader Award.