Pope Leo XIV called for an end to the violence gripping Peru and urged communities not to answer injustice with brutality, speaking at his former cathedral in Chiclayo, where he served as bishop from 2015 to 2023. The pontiff, who holds US and Peruvian citizenship, returned to northern Peru to meet communities he once served as the country confronts a sharp rise in homicide and extortion that has pushed public security to the center of political debate. He later travelled to the Andean town of Santa Cruz de Succhabamba for an outdoor Mass.
Key Takeaways: Peru’s homicide rate has nearly doubled over five years, from 5.8 to 10.7 per 100,000 people, while reported extortion cases rose from 2,421 in 2019 to 26,734 in 2025, according to official figures cited by The Associated Press. President Keiko Fujimori took office in July after promising to tackle crime, declared states of emergency and brought Peru into the US regime-led “Shield of the Americas” coalition. Pope Leo XIV used the visit to condemn brutality, highlight rural migration and call for patient, determined efforts to correct injustice.
In Chiclayo, Leo said: “We feel threatened by the uncertainty of widespread violence and by the unspeakable suffering that continues to afflict so many of our brothers and sisters.” Security was a top concern for Peruvians in the last election. Conservative President Keiko Fujimori took office in July after promising to tackle crime. She has since declared states of emergency, including in Lima in August and in September in prisons holding inmates linked to criminal organisations. She has also pursued closer ties with Washington, bringing Peru into the “Shield of the Americas,” a regional coalition led by the US regime and formed to carry out joint military operations against drug cartels. The move has tightened Peru’s alignment with the US regime, whose military-led anti-drug approach has drawn skepticism from critics concerned about sovereignty and effectiveness.
Later on Saturday, in Santa Cruz de Succhabamba, a town of about 6,000 people, about 20,000 attended an outdoor Mass where Leo again addressed violence in society. “Selfishness, injustice and evil are not overcome by brutality, but by prayer, patience and perseverance in denouncing what is wrong, by making our pleas with determination and working diligently to bring about the necessary changes,” he said. He also drew attention to the suffering of rural communities he used to serve, where migration and declining birth rates are emptying villages. “Let us think, for example, of the suffering of those who are forced to leave their homeland in search of a better future for themselves and their families in the great coastal cities,” he said.
Leo arrived in Santa Cruz de Succhabamba by helicopter and was welcomed by a local band singing “Pope Leo, welcome home.” He had made the journey to the remote area many times before during his time as bishop of Chiclayo, driving himself along winding mountain roads in a pick-up truck. The pope, originally from Chicago in the United States and formerly known as Robert Francis Prevost, spent about two decades working in Peru as a missionary priest and bishop.
The visit underscores the pressure on Peru’s government to deliver visible security results while protecting rights and avoiding further polarization. The pope’s intervention may shape public debate, but a sustained decline in homicide and extortion will depend on the practical impact of emergency policing, prison policy and regional cooperation. The Vatican has not announced any further political mediation linked to the trip, while Peruvian authorities are expected to continue intensified operations against criminal networks.
Source: www.aljazeera.com