Pope Leo XIV returned triumphantly on Friday to the Peruvian city of Chiclayo, where he served as bishop for eight years and was affectionately known as ‘Padre Roberto’. On arrival, he was greeted by a large sign reading ‘#LeonXIVVuelaACasa’ (Pope Leo returns home), before a small group of dancers performed. The crowds that greeted Leo in Peru’s fourth-largest city were smaller than the roughly 3 million people who welcomed the Pope in Lima, but their enthusiasm was extraordinary, as the former bishop of Chiclayo, Robert Prevost, returned as leader of the Catholic Church.
On the road to Pampas de Pimentel, a vast desert plain outside Chiclayo, vendors offered hats, small Pope dolls and Peruvian sweet bread. Maria Esther Chozo Reyes, 76, traveled 12 hours by bus from Lima and slept outside to be there. She stressed: ‘He knows the people of Chiclayo and has lived here, carried out his mission here. We really need his blessing.’ This sentimental visit comes in the middle of the final stage of the Pope’s 12-day trip to South America, a historic journey that included stops in Argentina and Uruguay.
Although Pope Leo was born in Chicago and English is his native language, the first words he uttered from the balcony of St. Peter’s Basilica were a greeting in Spanish to ‘his beloved Diocese of Chiclayo’. During his time there, he became a beloved figure by championing social justice causes, embracing the poor and visiting the local prison to hold Mass. He also launched a fundraising campaign for an oxygen production plant during the pandemic and was photographed distributing aid after Cyclone Maku in March 2023. At Christmas, he distributed gifts in remote villages.
The Pope’s trip was in jeopardy last month after a lung cancer diagnosis and surgery, but he showed no signs of fatigue in Lima. He spent two decades as a missionary, priest and bishop in Peru, becoming a citizen in 2015 and being a fierce critic of the authoritarian regime of former President Alberto Fujimori. On Thursday, Pope Leo gave a speech alongside newly elected President Keiko Fujimori, asking the country’s leaders to cultivate honesty and integrity. He stressed his connection to the country, saying: ‘Today I understand how much of this land remains with me and how much of my history belongs to you as well.’ His reference to Peru as ‘my homeland’ was met with loud applause, and he appeared teary-eyed as he sang the Peruvian national anthem.
Source: NBC News