Pope Leo XIV arrived in Lima on Wednesday for a six-day homecoming visit, with the Vatican estimating that about 3 million people lined the route of his motorcade, according to the Associated Press. The pontiff, who holds Peruvian citizenship and spent more than two decades in the country as a missionary priest and later as bishop of Chiclayo, told crowds that returning to Peru felt like coming home. He is also a US citizen and is the first pope from either the United States or Peru.
Key Takeaways: The Vatican estimated that around 3 million people greeted Pope Leo XIV along his Lima motorcade route. Leo holds Peruvian and US citizenship and is the first pope from either country. His six-day itinerary includes a visit to 3,700 meters (about 12,140 feet), a schedule considered risky after part of his lung was removed in mid-October because of a malignant tumor.
The visit comes as many Peruvians express fatigue with their political leadership. Peru has had nine presidents since July 2016, and homicide rates have nearly doubled in five years. Yet the Catholic Church remains more credible than any other Peruvian institution, theology professor Veronique Lecaros told AP, even as Pew data show Catholics falling from 76% of the population to about 67%. That contrast gives the papal trip unusual political and social weight in a country marked by weak trust in state institutions.
At the presidential palace, Leo sang Peru’s national anthem with President Keiko Fujimori. “Today I understand how much of this land remains with me and how much of my own story also belongs to you,” he said, adding that he was “also returning to my homeland.” He urged Peruvians to “cultivate honesty, integrity,” and to accept that “no one has all the answers.” He also called for stronger disaster prevention in a country regularly hit by El Niño-linked floods and landslides.
Fujimori said Peru must confront the “unfinished task” of reconciliation after decades of insurgent violence, state abuses and sharp political divisions. Political science professor Alonso Cardenas told AP he sees “no sign of a reaction, no strategy” from Fujimori’s government. Lecaros said the church’s standing remains higher than that of other institutions, even as Catholic affiliation declines. The Vatican’s crowd estimate could not be independently verified, and such figures often reflect organizers’ assessments rather than precise counts.
Leo’s six-day stay includes the high-altitude visit at 3,700 meters, which is being watched closely after he had part of a lung removed in mid-October because of a malignant tumor. He is due back at the Vatican on November 17. The trip’s political impact remains uncertain, but for Lima it has become a major public event that has refocused attention on the church’s social role, Peru’s governance crisis and the unfinished debate over national reconciliation.
Source: www.dw.com