Pope Leo made an emotional return to his former diocese of Chiclayo in Peru, where large crowds welcomed their former bishop exactly one month after he underwent surgery for lung cancer, and he thanked them for their support during his recovery. About 500,000 people gathered for Mass at Pampas de Pimentel, a desert park outside Peru’s fourth-largest city, according to Vatican estimates, while another million lined his motorcade route as he arrived in the coastal city where he is still known as “Padre Roberto.”
Key Takeaways: Pope Leo returned to Chiclayo, where he served as bishop from 2015 to 2023, and was greeted by an estimated 500,000 people at Mass plus about one million along his route. The visit came exactly one month after surgery for localized lung cancer, which doctors said had not spread and would not require further treatment. Peru is the final stop of his 12-day, three-country South America tour, and about 12 million people have attended his public events so far.
Before his election as pope, Leo spent about two decades in Peru as a missionary priest and served as bishop of Chiclayo from 2015 to 2023; his image remains ubiquitous in the city, and he is still widely called “Padre Roberto.” Born in Chicago as Robert Francis Prevost, he also holds Peruvian citizenship and this week declared Peru his homeland. In Chiclayo, a coastal city of about 620,000, he earned a reputation for staying close to poor communities during crises, including devastating floods and the COVID-19 pandemic, making his return both a pastoral visit and a personal homecoming.
“As I look at your faces, a prayer of thanksgiving to the Lord arises in my heart for the blessing you have been and continue to be in my life,” Leo said. At the start of his homily, he added: “What a joy it is to return to Chiclayo.” Crowds waved yellow and white Vatican flags and shouted, “The pope is from Chiclayo,” while some people camped overnight and others walked in the hot sun to avoid bumper-to-bumper traffic and reach the open-air Mass.
Last month’s surgery had raised fears that the trip would have to be cancelled, but doctors said the cancer was localized, had not spread and would not require further treatment. Leo will stay in the Chiclayo area until Sunday and is expected to lead eight events, including a private dinner with the priests he oversaw during his time as bishop. The final leg of the tour, which followed visits to Argentina and Uruguay, will be watched for signs of his recovery and for the pastoral priorities he intends to emphasize after a demanding return to public duties.
Source: www.aljazeera.com