CHICLAYO, Peru | Pope Leo XIV received an emotional homecoming in Chiclayo, northern Peru, on Friday, November 13, as thousands of residents and Catholic faithful welcomed the pontiff back to the city where he served as bishop for nearly eight years before his election as head of the Roman Catholic Church.
The return marked a highlight of his South American tour, bringing him back to a community where he built close relationships with ordinary families, religious leaders and disadvantaged residents during nearly two decades of missionary and pastoral service in Peru.
According to The Associated Press, Chiclayo residents prepared an enthusiastic welcome, decorating streets with papal murals, banners and displays bearing his image. Church organizers expected as many as one million people to attend his major Mass at an open field outside the city.
Born in Chicago, Illinois, Pope Leo XIV, whose birth name is Robert Francis Prevost, arrived in Peru in 1985 as an Augustinian missionary. He served in several church assignments before becoming bishop of Chiclayo in 2015, a position he held until 2023, when Pope Francis called him to Rome to lead the Vatican office responsible for selecting bishops. He also obtained Peruvian citizenship in 2015.
Residents remember him for his hands-on service, particularly during the COVID-19 pandemic, devastating floods and the arrival of Venezuelan migrants fleeing economic hardship. According to reports, Prevost helped organize food assistance, administered last rites to pandemic victims and raised approximately $380,000 through Caritas to support the purchase of oxygen plants. He also supported migrant families and initiatives addressing human trafficking.
His connection with Chiclayo became internationally known on May 8, 2025, when he was elected pope and mentioned his beloved former diocese in Spanish during his first public address from St. Peter’s Basilica. He became the first pope born in the United States and the first to hold Peruvian citizenship.
The visit also carries historical and religious significance. During his years in Peru, Prevost drew inspiration from St. Turibius de Mogrovejo, the 16th-century archbishop of Lima known for defending Indigenous and enslaved people and learning Indigenous languages to communicate with local communities. His legacy remains an important influence on the Catholic Church’s missionary work in the country.
Another development surrounding the papal visit involves the nearby town of Eten, where residents hope Leo will revive efforts to obtain Vatican recognition of an alleged Eucharistic miracle dating back to 1649. Prevost presented Pope Francis with a proposal for recognition in 2019, supported by historical records and thousands of testimonies. The Vatican has not recognized the alleged event, and the site remains the subject of disputes over church property and religious authority.
The Vatican’s official itinerary also includes visits to Santa Cruz de Succhabamba, Zaña, Cusco and Pucallpa before the pontiff returns to Lima. The six-day Peruvian leg forms the final part of his South American apostolic journey, which began in Uruguay and continued through Argentina.
For Chiclayo, the return is more than a papal visit. It is a reunion with a former bishop whom many residents still remember as Padre Roberto, the missionary who walked their streets and stood beside them during some of their most difficult years.
Si Venus L Peñaflor ay naging editor-in-chief ng Newsworld, isang lokal na pahayagan ng Laguna. Publisher din siya ng Daystar Gazette at Tutubi News Magazine. Siya ay isa ring pintor at doll face designer ng Ninay Dolls, ang unang Manikang Pilipino. Kasali siya sa DesignCrowd sa rank na #305 sa 640,000 graphic designers sa buong daigdig. Kasama din siya sa unang Local TV Broadcast sa Laguna na Beyond Manila. Aktibong kasapi siya ng San Pablo Jaycees Senate bilang isang JCI Senator.
- Venus L Peñaflor
- Venus L Peñaflor
- Venus L Peñaflor
- Venus L Peñaflor
