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CHICLAYO, Peru — Hundreds of thousands of faithful welcomed Pope Leo XIV back to northern Peru this weekend for a deeply personal homecoming to the diocese he led for nearly eight years before his election to the papacy.
The 71-year-old pontiff—born Robert Prevost and affectionately known across the region as “Padre Roberto”—served as Bishop of Chiclayo from 2015 to 2023. His two-day stop in the coastal city serves as a centerpiece of his 12-day apostolic journey across Uruguay, Argentina, and Peru.
Upon arriving in Chiclayo on Friday, Nov. 13, an estimated 1 million people lined the pontiff’s motorcade route, with roughly 500,000 gathering at an open desert plain near Pampas de Pimentel for an afternoon Mass.
Speaking to the massive crowd, Pope Leo XIV expressed emotion over his return and thanked locals for supporting him following his recent lung cancer surgery in October.
“What a joy it is to return to Chiclayo! It is a blessing for me to be with you once again,” Pope Leo XIV said in his official Vatican homily. “Thank you for your affection, the support and your prayers, especially for my health during this time of trial which, with God’s help, I am overcoming.”
Throughout the liturgy, the crowd repeatedly broke into chants of “El papa es Chiclayano!” (“The pope is Chiclayan”). According to the Associated Press, local seminarian Darwin Sánchez, who assisted the pope at Mass by carrying his miter, described his former bishop’s lasting impact on the community.
“He’s approachable, happy and he gave me the strength and courage to follow my vocation,” Sánchez told the Associated Press.
On Saturday morning, thousands packed the main square outside the Cathedral of Saint Mary in central Chiclayo, where the pontiff presided over the rite of coronation for a statue of the Immaculate Virgin Mary.
Reflecting on his years walking through the diocese’s towns and parishes, Pope Leo XIV placed a gold crown upon the statue and dedicated his papacy to her protection.
“At your side I learned to be the shepherd of Chiclayo,” the pope prayed during the coronation ceremony. “To your Immaculate Heart I entrust today my life and my ministry as Successor of Peter.”
Local parishioner Rosa Valdivia, who attended the Saturday morning event, told EWTN News that the pontiff had previously mentored her son in the parish.
“They had a good relationship; I knew him personally,” Valdivia said. “He was very kind and very sensitive — I had the chance to get to know him.”
Following Saturday’s coronation, Pope Leo XIV traveled by helicopter to celebrate Mass in Santa Cruz de Succhabamba before returning to Chiclayo for an afternoon prayer meeting. He is scheduled to visit Cusco and Pucallpa before returning to Lima on Sunday and departing for Rome on Monday, Nov. 16.
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