Pope Leo XIV in Peru for a Week!
Lima, Nov 11 (EFE).-
Pope Leo XIV arrived in Peru on Wednesday, where he was greeted by massive crowds, with an estimated 3 million people lining the streets to mark the start of a historic visit. It is a return to the Andean country for Robert Prevost, who spent more than 20 years carrying out pastoral work and even acquiring Peruvian citizenship.
Since he was elected leader of the Catholic Church on May 8, 2025, and delivered a warm greeting in Spanish to his beloved Diocese of Chiclayo, where he served as bishop for eight years, Peruvians have eagerly awaited the return of their pope, whom they consider one of their own despite his having been born in Chicago.
The anticipation was evident as soon as he arrived. Crowds lined up the route for Prevost’s first journey through the country as pope, along a stretch of more than 10 kilometers (6 miles). He initially traveled in an enclosed car before switching to the popemobile for the final stretch, which drew the greatest excitement from spectators, through downtown Lima.
“The best thing is that he feels Peruvian. He is being welcomed like a brother returning home. We feel the pope’s humility and his love for Peru,” Nancy told EFE shortly before seeing him in the popemobile on Brasil Avenue.
Peruvian President Keiko Fujimori welcomed the pontiff at the foot of the stairs as Leo XIV descended from the plane that had brought him from Buenos Aires. The pope later met with Fujimori at the Government Palace in Lima, where he sang the Peruvian national anthem alongside those present.
“I can tell you, with deep gratitude, that I am also returning to my homeland,” Leo XIV said in his first speech during the visit, delivered at the Grand National Theater in Lima before the country’s top officials, including Fujimori. He also recalled how Peruvians had made him feel “like one of their own.”
He said that “to love a people is to want everyone to be able to live with dignity there, to take an interest in them and to be willing to offer something of oneself for their well-being.” He urged Peruvians on Wednesday “to cultivate honesty, integrity and a willingness to engage with one another.”
He added that “this concern for the well-being of others finds admirable expression in public service” and that “it must begin with listening to people.”
Fujimori, who won the 2026 presidential election in her fourth bid for the presidency after losing the previous three elections in runoff votes, invoked the pope’s example to call for political reconciliation in a country that has had nine heads of state in 10 years, most of them removed from office by the opposition majority led by Fujimorismo.
Fujimori said the pope “knows the soul of our people better than anyone” and that Peru needed to heal its past wounds in order to move forward.
The president said national reconciliation was not simply a political agreement or the imposition of a particular point of view. “It will only be possible if we begin to understand and address the pain and needs of others,” she said.
As is customary during his trips, Leo XIV stepped onto the balcony of the apostolic nunciature before going to bed to greet the faithful gathered outside, call for peace and give them his blessing.
Peru is the third and final stop on Leo XIV’s first tour of Latin America, following visits to Uruguay and Argentina. The pope has a busy schedule from Nov. 6-16, just three weeks after undergoing surgery for lung cancer, during which the lower lobe of his right lung was removed.
He will spend six days in Peru, visiting Lima, Cusco, Pucallpa and Chiclayo, his former diocese. He is also scheduled to visit several locations in the region, including the rural town of Santa Cruz de Succhabamba and the town of Zaña. EFE
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