Pope Leo returns to Peru where he served as bishop

Summarised from 9 outlets · 15 reports · Updated 14 Nov, 11:38 · Archive

Pope Leo XIV has returned to Peru, where he spent nearly two decades as a missionary and bishop, drawing huge crowds during his South American tour.

Pope Leo XIV has returned to Peru on the final leg of a 12-day South American tour, drawing vast crowds to welcome their former bishop. The 71-year-old pontiff, born Robert Prevost in Chicago, spent nearly two decades in Peru as a missionary priest and served as bishop of Chiclayo from 2015 to 2023 before being elected pope last year.

On Friday, an estimated 1.5 million people gathered at Pampas de Pimentel, a desert park outside Chiclayo, for an outdoor Mass, with another million lining his motorcade route through the city. The Vatican estimates around 12 million people have attended events across his three-nation South American tour. Many in the crowd had camped overnight or walked in temperatures above 30 degrees Celsius to attend the ceremony.

In Chiclayo, a coastal city of about 620,000 people, Pope Leo is still known as 'Padre Roberto' and 'amigo' by residents who remember him for his work with poor and migrant communities during natural disasters and the Covid-19 pandemic. Murals and banners adorned the city welcoming him back, and vendors sold Pope Leo merchandise along the roads.

"What a joy it is to return to Chiclayo," the pontiff said at the start of his homily. He thanked the crowds for their affection and prayers, particularly noting their support during his recovery from lung cancer surgery performed just weeks before the tour began. "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," he told followers.

Pope Leo holds both Peruvian and US citizenship, having become a naturalised Peruvian citizen in 2015. On Wednesday, he declared the country his 'homeland'. The visit represents a deeply personal return for the pontiff, who first arrived in Peru in 1985 at the age of 29 as an Augustinian missionary in the poor town of Chulucanas.

During his Peruvian visit, Pope Leo also addressed the issue of clerical abuse. He met with six survivors of abuse on Thursday, including people linked to the Sodalitium Christianae Vitae, a lay Catholic society that was disbanded in 2025 by his predecessor Francis following years of allegations of sexual, physical and psychological abuse. The Vatican said the pontiff spent over an hour with the victims, meeting 'each person individually, listening to their stories of suffering and their pain'.

Pope Leo urged the Church to make 'amends' to survivors and strengthen protections against abuse. However, Al Jazeera reported that some abuse victims said the meeting excluded representatives of hundreds more survivors who remain excluded and are still seeking justice and accountability from the Church. The pontiff is scheduled to remain in Chiclayo until Sunday, leading eight events including a private dinner with the priests who once reported to him as bishop.

How it is being reported

• Half a million people gather for an open-air mass by Pope Leo in PeruPope Leo said it was a "joy to be back" in his second home of Chiclayo, where he made his name as a bishop. This is the latest stop on his South America tour, the very tour that saw fears of cancellation after the Pope underwent surgery for lung cancer. Story by Vedika Bahl.France 24 · 14 Nov, 11:17
• Pope Leo cheered on return to Peru city where he served as bishopAn estimated 1.5 million people have welcomed Pope Leo XIV back to the city in Peru where he once served as bishop.Al Jazeera · 13 Nov, 20:52
• Pope thanks crowds on emotional return to ‘second home’ in Peru’s ChiclayoThe Chicago-born pope was welcomed by huge crowds in the coastal city, on the final leg of his South America tour.Al Jazeera · 13 Nov, 20:28
• Pope Leo celebrates Mass in his former diocese of Chiclayo, PeruOver a million people have gathered for Mass with Pope Leo XIV on Friday. The event in northern Peru, where he served as bishop before becoming head of the Catholic Church, is the centerpiece of his South American tour.DW News · 13 Nov, 18:58
• The Peruvian city that has embraced Pope Leo as one of its ownPope Leo XIV is in Peru as part of his Latin America tour, just weeks after having surgery for lung cancer.BBC News · 13 Nov, 18:34
• Massive crowd gathers for mass with Pope Leo in Peruvian city where he served as bishopA vast crowd gathered outside Peru's northern city of Chiclayo early on Friday for the centerpiece event of Pope Leo's 12-day South America tour.New York Post · 13 Nov, 15:07
• Peruvians flock to see Pope Leo XIV in city he served as bishopCrowds in Peru's northern city of Chiclayo gathered early on Friday, November 13, ahead of Pope Leo's arrival for the centerpiece event of his 12-day South America tour, an outdoor Mass with the people who called him their bishop for eight years. He declared on November 11 that the country where he served as a missionary for about 20 years was his homeland.France 24 · 13 Nov, 10:55
• Peru: Pope Leo XIV leads youth prayer vigil at Lima's National StadiumThousands of young Catholics gathered at Peru's National Stadium in Lima on Thursday 12 November for a prayer vigil led by Pope Leo XIV, transforming the venue into a sea of lights, The stands lit up with thousands of mobile phone lights as the pontiff led an evening of songs, prayer and reflection.Euronews · 13 Nov, 08:11
• Pope Leo meets clergy abuse survivors in Peru amid calls for justicePope Leo met six clergy abuse survivors in Peru, while hundreds more say they remain excluded as they seek justice.Al Jazeera · 13 Nov, 05:05
• Pope Leo XIV meets abuse victims in Peru, says Church must make 'amends'Pope Leo XIV met six victims of clerical abuse in Peru on Thursday, including people linked to the disbanded Sodalitium Christianae Vitae. The US-born pontiff also urged the Catholic Church to make amends to survivors and strengthen protections against abuse as he returned to the country where he served for nearly two decades.France 24 · 13 Nov, 02:58
• Pope meets abuse victims in Peru, says Church must make ‘amends’The U.S.-born pope, who also holds Peruvian citizenship, is visiting Peru, where he worked as a missionary and bishop for nearly two decades.The Japan Times · 13 Nov, 01:42
• ‘Peruvian pope’ Leo XIV comes home to a country that shaped his life and faith through 'hardship'François Picard is pleased to welcome Victor Casallo, Director of the Department of Philosophical and Theological Studies at Antonio Ruiz de Montoya University. Can a Pope shaped by Peru's history of political violence, social inequality and religious activism help a deeply polarized nation heal and rediscover the possibility of dialogue? "We tend to see the other person not as someone who holds a different opinion, but as an enemy." Casallo argues that Pope Leo, the first American-born pontiff's identity cannot be understood through his Chicago origins alone.France 24 · 12 Nov, 23:33
• ‘Peruvian pope’ Leo XIV comes home to a country that shaped his life and faith through 'hardship'François Picard is pleased to welcome Victor Casallo, Director of the Department of Philosophical and Theological Studies at Antonio Ruiz de Montoya University. Can a Pope shaped by Peru's history of political violence, social inequality and religious activism help a deeply polarized nation heal and rediscover the possibility of dialogue? "We tend to see the other person not as someone who holds a different opinion, but as an enemy." Casallo argues that Pope Leo, the first American-born pontiff's identity cannot be understood through his Chicago origins alone. His decades of pastoral…France 24 · 12 Nov, 23:26
• Pope Leo gets rapturous welcome in Peru: ‘This visit is like a big party’Pope Leo XIV is visiting the country, where he spent nearly a decade as bishop, during an 11-day South American tour The walls in Chiclayo have been painted with colourful murals and banners welcoming Pope Leo XIV , but he is better known to residents of this city in northern Peru as “Padre Roberto” – a pastor who walked their streets, shared their love of local cuisine, and stood by them through natural disasters and the Covid-19 pandemic. Robert Prevost, 71, who spent nearly a decade as the bishop here until he left in 2023, now returns as the Catholic church’s most powerful figure. Yet…The Guardian · 12 Nov, 19:00
• Pope Leo enjoys an emotional Peruvian homecomingIn the final leg of his Latin American tour, Pope Leo returned to Peru, where he spent decades working as a missionary. CBS News' Chris Livesay reports.CBS News · 12 Nov, 18:22

In this story: Pope Leo XIV · Robert Prevost · Peru · Chiclayo · Lima · Sodalitium Christianae Vitae · Catholic Church · Chicago

This summary was written by AI from the headlines and standfirsts above, and states as fact only what at least two outlets report. How we use AI · Report a problem · Corrections log