Pope returns to ‘beloved’ Peruvian hometown

Pope Leo XIV returned Friday to his adopted hometown of Chiclayo, where half a million people braved desert heat to welcome their former bishop as he recovers from cancer.

The visit is the emotional centerpiece of the pope’s South America tour, bringing him back to the city where as Robert Francis Prevost he served the Church for nearly a decade.

“What a joy it is to return to Chiclayo!” the beaming 71-year-old pontiff said, apparently oblivious to the blazing sun despite his heavy liturgical vestments.

“Thank you for your affection, support and prayers, especially for my health during this time of trial which, with God’s help, I am overcoming,” Leo said.

The faithful streamed across Peru’s vast Pampas de Pimentel plain, as soldiers handed out water and firefighters sprayed pilgrims ahead of an open-air mass.

Families abandoned their vehicles and trudged through the dust for hours as temperatures climbed above 30 degrees Celsius (86 Fahrenheit) before mid-morning.

‘Heart of a Chiclayano’

Among the faithful was Cesar Arroyo Serquen, 65, who set out at dawn and spent four hours pushing a cart carrying an image of Jesus through deep sand.

Seeing the pope “is a joy from God, a blessing for our people and above all for Chiclayo,” he said.

“It has been a joy since he was elected pope to know that a man of Chiclayo, perhaps not by birth but with the heart of a Chiclayano, has now been chosen as pope.”

Some one million people lined the streets Friday to welcome their pope home.

The US-born pontiff, who holds Peruvian citizenship, paid tribute to his “beloved Diocese of Chiclayo” in Spanish from the balcony of St. Peter’s Basilica in his first speech as pope.

In the coastal city where Leo served from 2015 to 2023, his image is everywhere, from murals and banners to keychains and T-shirts sold on street corners.

Bishop Prevost “left a significant mark here, through his personal style, his character, and his actions,” Jorge Villegas, vicar general of the Diocese of Chiclayo, told AFP.

“He reached every last corner of the Diocese of Chiclayo, a region where the geography is far from easy.”

Prevost remained close to poor communities during periods of hardship, including devastating floods and the Covid-19 pandemic.

Residents still recall him pulling on rubber boots to wade through floodwaters and help stranded families. Locals remember him “standing by us during several natural disasters,” Villegas said.

‘Close to the people’

Leo went to one of Chiclayo’s poorest neighbourhoods to visit the San Oscar Romero chapel, which he helped rebuild.

The trip has also been a chance to catch up with old friends.

Among them is Hector Camacho, who knew Prevost from his missionary days and whose daughter Mildred is the pope’s goddaughter, named after Prevost’s mother.

At the Catholic university, Pope Leo XIV talked about the “limits” of being human, and questioned the ultra-wealthy’s quest to stop illness, ageing and even death, while the weak are cast aside.

“Precisely because scientific progress is a supreme achievement of human intelligence, it must not be confused with a privilege reserved for millionaires seeking immortality, while entire peoples suffer from poverty and oppression,” he said.

Leo’s tour of Peru will also take him to Cuzco, more than 3,400 meters (11,000 feet) above sea level, and Callao, where as bishop he delivered food and aid to vulnerable communities.

But residents said the return to Chiclayo carries a different meaning.

Bishop Prevost “was always very close to the people…you could run into him on the street — strolling around, greeting people, and chatting,” said Pahola Rojas, a 40-year-old secretary.

“He was very approachable…he inspired a great deal of trust and possessed a lot of charisma.”

For many in Chiclayo, Leo’s visit felt less like a papal tour stop than the homecoming of a bishop who never stopped being one of their own.

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