The aircraft chartered by the Pope landed at Chiclayo airport, on the Pacific coast. On the fuselage of the plane, the message that accompanied Leão wherever he went in Peru was read: #LeonXIVvuelaaCasa (Leo XIV returns home).
Chiclayo, with a population of 700 thousand inhabitants, is the commercial hub of the north coast of Peru, bathed by the Pacific. However, much of the world heard about the city on the night of Leo's election, on May 8, 2025, when he mentioned Chiclayo — in Spanish — from the balcony of St. Peter's Basilica.
“I'm very happy with his return,” said Rolando Antonio Mendoza, who was selling posters with the Pope's image in front of the cathedral where Leo used to celebrate Mass. “Even though he is now Pope Leo XIV, he has not forgotten his land.”
According to organizers, it is possible that up to a million people will attend Peru's first large Lion Mass, held on Friday morning in a vast field on the outskirts of Chiclayo.
Robert Prevost — his name before becoming Pope — spent two decades in Peru as a missionary priest and bishop, and credits that place and its people with teaching him how to be a pastor. Pope Francis sent the Augustinian, born in Chicago, to take over as bishop of Chiclayo in 2014; he remained in the role until 2023, when Francis summoned him to Rome to head the Vatican dicastery responsible for bishops.
In retrospect, the transfer to Rome in 2023 indicated that Francis saw Prevost as a possible successor — as this role is one of the most important in the Church and would provide him with experience in the Vatican, considered by many to be an essential requirement for someone to become a viable candidate for the papacy.
But Prevost's heart is in Chiclayo, where he continues to be well-loved for championing social justice causes and for his closeness to the people — especially the poorest — in times of crisis. And he faced several during his time in the region: COVID-19, devastating floods and a large influx of Venezuelan migrants as the humanitarian situation in the neighboring country worsened in 2018.
"Chiclayo is celebrating," said Rocio Zena, remembering how Prevost helped her when she lost the family home in the floods of 2023. "We are radiant to welcome the Holy Father with so much faith. He arrives, no longer as Prevost, but as Leo XIV. And he is coming home."
In the city, the El Trebol restaurant is proud to be “the Pope's restaurant”. Images of him are displayed in paintings: Prevost on a horse, walking through the mud in rubber boots and celebrating his birthday with a cake.
A sign on his favorite table — number 3, overlooking the cathedral — reads: “blessed table”. Like many other places in the city, the restaurant sells “Papaletas” — popsicles that feature the image of Lion made in white chocolate.
Just steps from the restaurant, a life-size cardboard totem of the Pope welcomes visitors to his former residence in the diocese. There, an exhibition presents the skullcaps — those small ecclesiastical caps — in purple, scarlet and white, which he wore when he was bishop, cardinal and, now, Pope.
“I feel very happy with my work, because the Pope is from Chiclayo,” said Cynthia Charrary, as she swept the streets near the main square, preparing the city for Leo's arrival. “We want our city to be cleaner than ever.”
Since Leo set foot on Peruvian soil on Wednesday, the world has seen a very different Pope. Normally reserved and calm, Leo, at 71 years old, has shown, at different times, a contagious joy and an emotion so intense that it brings tears.
That's exactly what happened on Thursday night, when around 60,000 young Peruvians sang for him in a stadium in Lima. The same happened on Wednesday, shortly after his arrival, when he sang the national anthem at the presidential palace.
On other occasions, he seemed so at ease and relaxed that he even joked with his own health. When talking to Peruvian bishops, he joked about the “Thomas” — the skeptics — who doubted he would be able to attend, due to the recent lung cancer surgery he underwent.
After the mass, Leo's agenda for the day included a meeting with the clergy and seminarians of Chiclayo, as well as a speech at the Catholic university of which he was chancellor during the period in which he served as bishop. The institution is named after Saint Turibius of Mogrovejo, the first archbishop of Lima, who lived in the 16th century.
