Massive crowd gathers in Chiclayo, Peru, for outdoor Mass with Pope Leo

Vast crowds gathered outside the northern Peruvian city of Chiclayo early on Friday for the centerpiece event of Pope Leo’s 12-day South America tour, an outdoor Mass with the people who had known him as their bishop for eight years.

Many people travelled by vehicle and on foot to an arid field just outside the city, where Leo was to lead the Mass at Pampas de Pimentel, a large desert park west of Chiclayo. Chiclayo is 10,700 kilometres (6,650 miles) from Rome. The former Robert Prevost, elected leader of the Catholic Church last year, is still addressed there as “Padre” (Father) or “Amigo” (Friend). Lines of cars forced many visitors to walk part of the way.

Among those walking was Karina Chinglay, 40, who came with her mother and two children, all wearing matching Pope Leo shirts. “We knew it was going to be quite a large turnout, but we didn’t imagine the scale of it,” she said.

The pope, who was born in Chicago, is visiting Peru on the emotional final leg of a three-nation tour. In just over a week in South America, he has drawn an estimated 10 million people to public events. On Wednesday he said that Peru, where he served as a missionary for about 20 years, was his homeland.

Leo was due to arrive in Chiclayo from Lima around 9 a.m. local time and would remain in the area until Sunday to lead eight events. These include a private dinner with the priests who once reported to him as bishop, a gathering that reflects the honor of remembering those who served faithfully alongside a shepherd (Hebrews 13:7). Chiclayo, Peru’s fourth-largest city, has a population of about 620,000, and agriculture supports its economy.

Some people had camped overnight at Pampas de Pimentel. Maria Esther Chozo Reyes, 76, took a 12-hour bus ride from Lima and arrived on Thursday afternoon. “He knows the people of Chiclayo, and he’s lived here; he’s made his mission here,” she said. “We really need his blessing.”

Crowds for Leo’s visit to Peru have been the largest of his 18-month papacy. About 3 million people gathered in Lima on Wednesday after his arrival from Argentina. Officials in Chiclayo have estimated that a million people could attend the Mass there.

Leo began his South America tour less than a month after lung cancer surgery and has appeared in good form on one of the most demanding foreign tours arranged for a pope in decades. In Peru, he has greeted crowds enthusiastically from an open-air popemobile, made unannounced appearances on the balcony of the Vatican Embassy in Lima, where he was staying, and sung local songs at events.

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