“what it means to be a shepherd,” Pope Leo XIV said of his decades serving in Peru as a missionary priest and bishop before returning to the country on Nov. 11, 2026, as the leader of the Catholic Church.
Arriving in Lima at the start of his historic visit, the pontiff declared Peru his homeland during the final leg of a South American tour that also included Uruguay and Argentina, according to CBS News. The 71-year-old pontiff, born Robert Prevost in Chicago, spent roughly twenty years of his pastoral life in Peru beginning in 1985 as an Augustinian missionary in Chulucanas.
Tens of thousands of people lined the streets of Lima to welcome the pope as his cavalcade travelled from the airport to the presidential palace, according to The Guardian. National Catholic Reporter said that an estimated three million people turned out across the capital during his early days in the country.
During a welcome ceremony at the Presidential Palace, Leo met with Peruvian President Keiko Fujimori, as reported by CBS News. In the port of El Callao, a towering 46-foot statue of the pontiff was unveiled in preparation for his arrival.
On Nov. 13, the pope travelled to Chiclayo, where he served as bishop from 2015 to 2023, according to OSV News. BBC reported that an estimated 1.5 million people gathered across the city, where roughly 500,000 pilgrims attended a massive Mass celebrated by Leo on the Pampas de Pimentel, as detailed by Where Peter Is. Local authorities recorded that about one million individuals filled the streets of the northern city during the gathering.
Reflecting on his return to his former diocese, the pontiff addressed the faithful and local clergy at the Shrine of Our Lady of Peace. “Before any service, office, profession or ministry, we are baptized,” he said, adding that the participation of the laity is an expression of their baptismal dignity.
Bishop Edinson Farfán Córdova of Chiclayo welcomed the pontiff to the shrine by stating that those gathered represented a diversity of faces and vocations showing a living church that walks with hope.
During his stop in Chiclayo, the pope also visited the Saint Turibius of Mogrovejo Catholic University, where university rector Patricia Campos Olazábal welcomed him by recalling his previous role as grand chancellor and bishop. Vatican News reported that Leo urged students and professors to ensure that scientific innovation serves to bridge social divides rather than submitting to a technocratic paradigm that ignores human dignity.
Earlier in Lima, Leo addressed a public gathering in the city’s central square on the challenges facing the Peruvian people. National Catholic Reporter said that the pontiff decried the subordination of women and unequal sharing of domestic responsibilities.
During his meetings with bishops at the Lima archbishop’s residence, the pope acknowledged the abuses committed by members of the clergy, while also meeting privately with six victims of abuse, including former members of the Sodalitium society.
The pope’s itinerary also highlighted Afro-Peruvian history with a visit to Zaña, where Latin Grammy-winning singer Susana Baca performed upon his arrival. The community gathered to celebrate the pontiff, who previously served as their local bishop, at a prayer service held near the Sanctuary of St. Turibius of Mogrovejo.