Pope Leo XIV arrives in Peru, his 'second homeland'

Pope Leo

The trip marks the pontiff's first return to the country as leader of the Catholic Church.

Earlier this Wednesday, the pontiff was in Argentina, where he celebrated an open mass for more than 2 million people at the sanctuary of Our Lady of Luján, the most important place of Catholic devotion in Argentine territory. In his farewell to the country, President Javier Milei was seen emotional (see the video below).

Remember the pontiff's relationship with Peru

Robert Francis Prevost, the pope's given name, built an important part of his religious trajectory in Latin America. His relationship with Peru began in 1984, when he was sent to the country to work as a missionary for the Order of Saint Augustine.

In the following years, he worked in different Peruvian regions. In 2014, he was appointed administrator of the Diocese of Chiclayo, in the north of the country. The following year, he received Peruvian citizenship and was ordained bishop of the diocese, a role he held until 2023.

During his eight years at the helm of the Diocese of Chiclayo, Prevost worked with vulnerable communities and monitored emergency situations faced by the local population. Among them, the 2017 floods and the Covid-19 pandemic.

During the pandemic, when the population was in quarantine, the then bishop walked the empty streets of Chiclayo to pray. A video of the walk was released by the diocese itself after his election as pope, in May 2025.

A giant statue of Pope Leo is unveiled in Callao, Peru, on November 9, 2026, on the eve of the pontiff's visit to the country. — Photo: REUTERS/Daniel Becerril

According to the publication, Prevost traveled around the city to bring comfort to the people most in need. The diocese also highlighted that he is loved by the local population for having spent eight years leading the religious institution.

The proximity to Peru also appeared in his first speech as pontiff. After being announced as Pope Francis' successor, Leo XIV interrupted his speech in Italian to address the faithful in Chiclayo in Spanish.

"I want to greet in a special way my beloved diocese of Chiclayo, in Peru, where a faithful people accompanied their bishop, shared their faith and gave so much to continue being a Church faithful to Jesus Christ", he stated.

Before being elected pope, Prevost held important positions in the Vatican. He was prefect of the Dicastery for Bishops, the body responsible for nominating bishops, and president of the Pontifical Commission for Latin America.

Agenda

The visit to Peru is part of a 12-day trip to South America, which began on November 6th. Before arriving in the country, Leo XIV passed through Uruguay and Argentina.

The Peruvian program includes commitments in different regions of the country, with visits to Lima, Callao, Chiclayo, Cusco and Pucallpa. The agenda includes religious and institutional meetings, as well as activities with local communities.

Two days before the pontiff's arrival, Callao, a port city near Lima, unveiled a 14-meter-high statue in honor of Leo XIV. According to local authorities, the monument is the largest in the world dedicated to a pope.