Pope Leo XIV to Return to Peru as a Pontiff, Not Just a Neighbor
The American-born pope will arrive in Chiclayo for the final leg of his Latin American tour, marking his first visit to the country where he served as a bishop for five years.
By Trevor Wilson ·
Pope Leo XIV will land in Peru this month to conclude a three-country tour of Latin America. For the people of Chiclayo, his arrival is not merely a state visit for the head of the Catholic Church. It is the return of a local figure who lived in the region for five years before his election to the papacy in May 2025.
The timeline of his presence in the country began in 1985. Then-Father Robert Prevost arrived in Chulucanas as a parish priest. He was there for more than 14 years, a period that included a bout of typhoid fever that he survived in a local clinic named Clinica Roma. He later served as a formator in Trujillo. In 2001, he left for Rome to serve as prior general of the Augustinian order. He returned to Peru in 2014 when Pope Francis named him apostolic administrator of the Diocese of Chiclayo.
His tenure in Chiclayo was marked by a consultative leadership style rather than top-down decrees. He worked closely with local groups, including Opus Dei members who ran family formation programs. During the 2017 El Niño floods, he visited affected areas and mobilized business leaders for donations. In 2020, as the pandemic peaked, he launched the "Oxygen of Hope" campaign. This effort raised funds to buy two oxygen plants for northern Peru, where hospitals faced severe shortages.
In April 2020, Pope Francis also named him apostolic administrator of the Diocese of Callao. He took over that diocese amid internal conflicts involving former Bishop José Luis del Palacio. Prevost spent a year engaging with disgruntled clergy and reviewing administrative finances. He stabilized the diocese until Pope Francis appointed Bishop Luis Alberto Barrera Pacheco to the see in April 2021.
The visit occurs as Peru navigates a fragile political landscape. The country elected Keiko Fujimori as its ninth president in 10 years earlier this year. Protests over high costs have burdened many citizens. The Vatican announced that the pope will meet with abuse victims during the trip. Victims’ advocates view this with cautious optimism, particularly given the pope's past support for survivors of the Sodalitium Christian Vitae movement.
Cardinal Pedro Barreto Jimeno, the retired archbishop of Huancayo, described the nation as "battered and broken" in an interview with Religion Digital on Nov. 1. He stated that the pope’s presence will encourage institutions to create space for dialogue that respects human dignity.
The pope’s first public address as pontiff in May 2025 included a specific greeting to his adopted home. He thanked the faithful people of the Diocese of Chiclayo for accompanying him. He noted that they shared his faith and gave much to keep the Church faithful to Jesus Christ.
Source: The Catholic Sun
