Pope Leo XIV arrived in Peru, where he began the final stage of his 12-day tour of South America. His plane landed at the Air Force base in Callao near Lima, where he was welcomed on the runway by President Keiko Fujimori.
Two children presented flowers to the pope, who embraced them. The children’s choir “Symphony for Peru” also took part in the ceremony. According to the Vatican, around 3 million people gathered along the motorcade route to the presidential palace.
“We love him so much because he worked here, he knows our suffering, he knows everything,” said 85-year-old Evelina Cruz, quoted by The Associated Press.
Returning to the country where he served for 20 years
The visit to Peru is personally significant for Leo XIV. He was born in Chicago but also holds Peruvian citizenship. Before his election as pope, he spent around 20 years in the country as a missionary of the Augustinian order, and from 2015 to 2023 he was bishop of Chiclayo.
“This is a return to his beginnings,” Gustavo Morello, a sociology professor at Boston College, told The Associated Press. In Peru, the pope is also known by the name Robert Prevost, which he uses as a clergyman.
After the official welcome in Lima, Leo XIV met with President Fujimori at the presidential palace. His first address in the country was directed at Peru’s authorities, civil society representatives and the diplomatic corps.
Lima, Chiclayo, Cusco and Pucallpa
The pope’s program in Peru continues through November 16. In Lima, he will meet with Peruvian bishops, lead a prayer at the cathedral and take part in a meeting dedicated to the challenges and hopes facing the Peruvian people.
On Friday, Leo XIV will travel to Chiclayo, where he will celebrate Mass at Pampas de Pimentel. This is the city with which much of his pastoral work in Peru is associated.
The trip also includes Cusco and Pucallpa. In Cusco, the pope will pray in front of the Sacsayhuamán archaeological complex, while in Pucallpa he will meet with missionaries and representatives of Amazonian peoples.
Peru is the third country on Leo XIV’s tour, after Uruguay and Argentina. In Argentina, according to Reuters, individual events during the visit drew millions of people. The tour will conclude with a Mass at the “Las Palmas” Air Force base in Lima.
Sources: theprint.in, apnews.com, vaticannews.va