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Pope Leo XIV Returns to Peru, Says “I Return Also to My Homeland”
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Pope Leo XIV arrived in Lima at Callao Base, greeted by President Fujimori amid crowds. He called Peru his homeland and is known there as Padre Robert.
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Pope Leo returns to Peru
Pope Leo XIV arrived in Peru on Wednesday, 11 November, landing at Callao Air Base and being welcomed by President Keiko Fujimori and Foreign Minister Carlos Espá, with two children presenting him with a bouquet of flowers. Pope Leo XIV told Fujimori and authorities at the National Theater, “I can tell you, with deep gratitude, that I return also to my homeland.” The Vatican estimated that some 3 million people lined Leo’s kilometers-long motorcade route into town, and the crowd waved Peruvian and Holy See flags as he traveled from the airport to the presidential palace.
Pope Leo XIV also said, “Today I understand how much of this land remains with me and how much of my own story also belongs to you,” as he described his bond with Peru after acquiring Peruvian citizenship in 2015. The Pope’s visit marked the final leg of his three-nation South America tour after visits to Uruguay and Argentina, and Vatican News said he would return to Lima for Mass at Las Palmas Air Base on Monday, 16 November before departing for Rome.
Crowds, speeches, and politics
Pope Leo XIV emerged from his Aerolineas Argentinas charter plane smiling as he greeted President Keiko Fujimori on the tarmac and embraced two children who brought him flowers. The Vatican estimated that some 3 million people lined Leo’s motorcade route, and the crowd sang “Long live Christ!” following a Catholic choir as he moved toward the presidential palace. Pope Leo XIV urged Peru’s leaders to confront the country’s past with “justice and sensitivity,” and he called on Peruvians to cultivate “honesty, integrity and a willingness to engage with others.”
Rolando Pérez, a professor at the Pontifical Catholic University of Peru, said the pope’s return inspires “great hope among a large segment of Peruvian society” that still perceives “the abandonment of the state.” Keiko Fujimori told the pope’s welcome that his visit was an invitation for Peru to pursue its “unfinished task” of national reconciliation, while the Straits Times said Leo alluded to the contested legacy of Alberto Fujimori.
Next stops and themes
Pope Leo XIV’s schedule in Peru included a return to the northern city of Chiclayo on Friday to celebrate Mass on the Pampas de Pimentel, and Vatican News said he would meet Peru’s bishops and preside over Midday Prayer in Lima’s cathedral on Thursday. Pope Leo XIV was set to take part in a meeting on the challenges and hopes of the Peruvian people in the square outside the Cathedral, and he was also due to pray the Angelus at Saqsaywaman in Cusco. Pope Leo XIV planned to travel to Pucallpa in Peru’s Amazon to meet missionaries and representatives of Amazonian peoples, and the Straits Times said he would honor Peru’s Indigenous peoples there.
The Guardian described Pope Leo XIV as “Padre Roberto” to residents of Chiclayo, and it said he had set aside six days to visit Peru on the final leg of an 11-day South American trip. Aleteia’s live coverage said León XIV urged his audience to “Do not give in to difficulties!” and it reported that approximately 40,000 faithful had gathered for a gathering on the challenges and hopes of the Peruvian people.