Pope Leo XIV Returns to Chiclayo, Peru, Where He Served as Bishop for Eight Years

Pope Leo XIV made a triumphant return on Friday to the Peruvian city of Chiclayo, where he served as bishop for eight years and was affectionately nicknamed “Padre Roberto.” On arrival, he was greeted by a large sign reading “#LeonXIVVuelaACasa,” or “Pope Leo returns home,” and a small dance troupe performed before him.

The crowds in Peru’s fourth-largest city are expected to be smaller than the estimated 3 million who welcomed the pope when he arrived in Lima, the capital, on Wednesday. Even so, the enthusiasm of the people of Chiclayo was expected to more than make up for their smaller numbers. Pope Leo, formerly Bishop Robert Prevost of Chiclayo, returned to the coastal city of nearly 700,000 as the leader of the Catholic Church. Lines of cars forced many visitors to walk part of the way to Pampas de Pimentel, a vast desert plain just outside the city. Vendors along the road sold hats, mini pope dolls and sweet Peruvian bread.

Maria Esther Chozo Reyes, 76, told The Associated Press that she had taken a 12-hour bus ride from Lima and arrived Thursday afternoon, and that she camped overnight. “He knows the people of Chiclayo and he’s lived here, he’s made his mission here,” she said. “We really need his blessing.”

The stop is part of the final leg of Leo’s 12-day visit to South America, which also included stops in Argentina and Uruguay. NBC News described the Chiclayo visit as the most sentimental part of the journey. Although Leo was born in Chicago and English is his mother tongue, his first words from the balcony of St. Peter’s Basilica were a greeting in Spanish to his “beloved Diocese of Chiclayo.” During his time there, he often joked, “Chicago, Chiclayo, what difference is there? Only one letter.” Setting aside the fact that the difference is actually two letters, he became a beloved figure in the city by championing social justice, embracing the poor and visiting the local prison to say Mass.

During the pandemic, Leo drew support by launching a fundraising drive for an oxygen production plant that the region badly needed. When Cyclone Maku hit the area in March 2023, he was photographed wading through floodwaters to bring supplies to the destitute and distributing food at soup kitchens, a picture of hospitality toward the hungry and needy (Matthew 25:35). At Christmastime, he would drive a pickup truck loaded with gifts into remote villages around Chiclayo and join family celebrations.

Last month, the 71-year-old pontiff’s trip to South America was in doubt after he was diagnosed with lung cancer and underwent surgery to remove part of one lung. When he landed in Lima, however, he showed no sign of exhaustion as he quickly walked down the stairs to the tarmac. Riding in an open-air popemobile, he waved to crowds lining the highway into the city, who held balloons and flags and chanted “Leo! Leo! Leo!”

Leo spent two decades in Peru as a missionary, priest and finally bishop, and became a citizen in 2015. During those years, he was also a strident critic of then-Peruvian President Alberto Fujimori’s authoritarian regime. On Thursday, he delivered a speech at Lima’s Gran Teatro Nacional performing arts center while seated beside Fujimori’s daughter, recently elected Peruvian President Keiko Fujimori.

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