Pope Leo XIV touched down in Peru on Wednesday for the final leg of a South American tour, returning to the country where he spent decades as a missionary and bishop before ascending to the papacy.
The trip represents a homecoming for the pontiff, who holds Peruvian citizenship and is widely viewed by locals as an adopted son.
Chiclayo Prepares for Monseñor Roberto
In the northern city of Chiclayo, the atmosphere is one of profound anticipation. Crews have set up large screens outside St. Mary’s Cathedral. Locals lingered in the square to photograph City Hall lit in the Vatican’s yellow and white, which serves as a centerpiece for the festivities.
At the restaurant El Trébol, owner Eduard Montoya maintains a “Blessed Table” adorned with mementos and excerpts from the pope’s first greeting to the Diocese of Chiclayo.
Nearby, the restaurant Las Américas displays a sign welcoming the pope back to Chiclayo, showing how deeply the man once known as Robert Prevost wove himself into the fabric of daily life. According to Edinson Farfán, the current bishop of Chiclayo, Prevost liked cabrito, arroz con pato and ceviche.
Decades on the Front Lines of Crisis
His work initially took him to Chulucanas and Trujillo before he became the bishop of Chiclayo, a post he held from 2014 until 2023. During his tenure, he became a fixture of the community, known for traveling to reach the most isolated Andean areas of his diocese, including the Cañaris and Incahuasi districts, where he visited Indigenous communities that primarily speak Quechua. During the COVID-19 pandemic, he rallied regional businesses to acquire an oxygen plant, a move locals credit with saving many lives. Father José Del Rosario, a parish priest and rector of the Sanctuary of Our Lady of Mount Carmel of La Legua, recalled the bishop’s presence, noting that he worked in the trenches alongside his people.
Starting in 2018, he led a comprehensive response to the arrival of Venezuelan migrants, which included building the San Vicente de Paúl village in Puerto Etén. Figures note that Peru received more than 1.6 million Venezuelans through November 2025.
Lisbeth Díaz, a Venezuelan resident and member of the Commission for Human Mobility and Human Trafficking, described the pope’s warmth, stating, “His simplicity, the peace he conveys, that serenity Monsignor Prevost had when listening to people — I still see it in Pope Leo XIV.”
The Pope Connects to Peru Through St. Turibius
The pope’s connection to Peru is also rooted in his deep devotion to St. Turibius of Mogrovejo, the 16th-century archbishop of Lima known as the “Apostle of Peru.” On the night before his 2014 episcopal ordination, the then-Father Prevost spent the night in prayer before a relic of the saint in the town of Zaña. In 2019, he furthered his commitment to local traditions by launching the process for gaining Vatican recognition of “The Divine Child of the Miracle,” a purported Eucharistic miracle that occurred in Ciudad Eten in 1649.
As he returns to the country, the pope is accompanied by various figures, including the president of the Mexican Episcopal Conference, Ramón Castro, who was invited to accompany the Pope throughout his stay in Peruvian territory. The visit includes a stop at the Shrine of St. Turibius of Mogrovejo in Zaña on November 14 for a prayer meeting.
Authorities Restrict Access to Lima for Papal Events
Authorities have restricted access to the historic center of Lima for the pope’s events and warned of potential complications when traveling between cities. The Iperú website provides official tourist information regarding attractions, routes, destinations, and companies that offer tourism services.
Reverend John Lydon, an Augustinian priest who lived and worked with Prevost for a decade, said that the pope’s dedication to the poor and his defense of human rights will continue to define his visit.
