Pope Leo XIV Returns to Chiclayo, Peru, Calls It a “Joy” to Be Home

Pope Leo XIV returned Friday to his former diocese of Chiclayo, Peru, and told the crowd that it was a “joy” to be home. The homecoming was emotional, reflecting his affection for his Peruvian flock and their pride that their former shepherd now leads the Catholic Church.

The pope, known locally as “Padre Roberto,” arrived at Chiclayo’s airport on the Pacific coast and went directly to a large, dusty field outside the city for his first Mass on Peruvian soil. The Vatican estimated that 1 million people lined his motorcade route to the Mass and that 500,000 attended. Crowds cheered as he arrived and circled the field in his popemobile, under a scorching sun and temperatures of 31 degrees Celsius (88 degrees Fahrenheit).

“What a joy it is to return to Chiclayo!” Leo said at the start of his homily. He thanked the faithful especially for their prayers during his recent hospitalization for lung cancer, and he declared that “with God’s help, I am overcoming” the health scare.

Chiclayo, with a population of 700,000, is the commercial hub of Peru’s northern Pacific coast. Many people around the world first heard of the city on the night of Leo’s election, May 8, 2025, when he greeted Chiclayo in Spanish from the loggia of St. Peter’s Basilica. Julie Albujar, who woke before dawn with her sister to travel to the Mass site, where they were assigned to take up the collection, said, “I’m elated. He has decided to return to Chiclayo and we have him here, with us — home.” She added, “This is a party and it’s a sign of our faith and our love for the pope.”

The former Robert Prevost spent two decades as a missionary priest and bishop in Peru, and he has said the place and its people taught him how to be a shepherd. Pope Francis sent the Chicago-born Augustinian to become bishop of Chiclayo in 2014. He remained there until 2023, when Francis summoned him to Rome to lead the Vatican’s bishops’ office. In hindsight, that transfer signaled that Francis saw him as a potential successor, since the post is one of the most important in the church and gave him Vatican experience that many consider necessary for a viable papal candidate.

Prevost remains beloved in Chiclayo for championing social justice and for staying close to the people, especially the poor, during times of crisis. He faced many such moments during his tenure, including the COVID-19 pandemic, devastating floods, and a surge of Venezuelan migrants in 2018 as the humanitarian situation in Venezuela worsened. This record of a justice-minded life of humble service is part of why local residents welcomed his return.

Local residents and businesses have marked his connection to the city in visible ways. Rolando Antonio Mendoza, who was selling posters of the pope in front of the cathedral where Leo once celebrated Mass, said, “I’m so glad he’s returning. Even though he’s now Pope Leo XIV, he hasn’t forgotten about his homeland.” The El Trébol restaurant calls itself the pope’s restaurant, displaying framed photos of Prevost riding a horse, wading through mud in rubber boots and celebrating his birthday. A sign on his favorite table, No. 3, with a view of the cathedral, reads “mesa bendita,” Spanish for “blessed table.” A life-size cardboard cutout of the pope welcomes visitors to his former residence, where an exhibit displays the zucchettos, or skullcaps, he wore as bishop, cardinal and pope. Cynthia Charrary, who was sweeping streets near the main square before Leo’s arrival, said, “I feel so happy about my work because the pope is Chiclayano. We want our city to be cleaner than ever.”

Since Leo landed in Peru on Wednesday, he has appeared very different from the reserved, placid figure many know. The 71-year-old has at times seemed giddy and overcome with emotion, to the point of tears. That was the case Thursday night, when some 60,000 young Peruvians sang for him in a Lima stadium, and when he sang the national anthem at the presidential palace upon his arrival Wednesday. On other occasions he has seemed relaxed enough to joke about his health. Speaking to Peruvian bishops, he joked about how some “doubting Thomases” did not think he would make it through his recent lung cancer surgery.

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