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Two Peruvian Bishops Pass Away Before Pope Leo XIV's Visit
Confirmed
In Short: Two Peruvian bishops, Archbishop Alarcón Urrutia and Archbishop Lizardo Estrada Herrera, have passed away days before Pope Leo XIV's visit to Peru.
Two Peruvian bishops, Archbishop Alarcón Urrutia and Archbishop Lizardo Estrada Herrera, have passed away days before Pope Leo XIV's visit to Peru.
Archbishop Alarcón Urrutia, who died on October 31, was coordinating preparations for the pope's visit to Cusco.
Archbishop Estrada Herrera described his predecessor's considerable social commitment, concern for the poorest, and extensive collaboration with the Peruvian Episcopal Conference.
The Peruvian bishops' conference called for prayers for the deceased bishops, entrusting their lives to the merciful hands of the Lord.
Pope Leo XIV, who holds both U.S. and Peruvian citizenship, departed for the Americas on Friday, carrying a message of social justice.
The pontiff's visit to Peru, scheduled for November 11-16, includes stops in Lima, Chiclayo, Cusco, and Pucallpa, where he will meet with Amazonian communities.
Pope Leo will visit the Shrine of St. Turibius of Mogrovejo in Zaña on November 14, a deeply personal return to a place tied to the beginning of his episcopal ministry.
St. Turibius of Mogrovejo, who died in 1606, is the patron of Latin America's bishops and a fellow missionary bishop who Pope Leo described as a model of Church leadership.
The Peruvian government recently declared the shrine to be of national interest, adding another layer to the significance of the visit.
Background
Pope Leo XIV will visit Peru's Shrine of St. Turibius of Mogrovejo on November 14, 2026, as part of his South American tour.
Pope Leo XIV will visit Peru's Shrine of St. Turibius of Mogrovejo on November 14, 2026, as part of his South American tour.
What's confirmed
- The Peruvian bishops’ conference — in which Pope Leo served as second vice president while he was bishop of Chiclayo — called for prayers, “entrusting his life and recovery with filial confidence to the merciful hands of the Lord of Miracles” — a venerated image of the crucified Christ known as the Cristo Moreno.
- On Oct. 14, the Archdiocese of Lima postponed a session of preparations for the papal trip to the Peruvian capital and instead called for a day of prayer.
What's still developing
- From the coastline overlooking the Pacific Ocean to the Amazon rainforest, from colonial cities to the Andes, Peru is awaiting Pope Leo XIV.
- In 2015, Pope Francis appointed him Bishop of Chiclayo, and five years later also named him Apostolic Administrator of the Diocese of Callao.
- The people are joyfully awaiting the “Peruvian” Pope, an Augustinian who served as a missionary in the Piura region and in Trujillo during the 1980s and 1990s.
- In his final days, he was coordinating various preparatory arrangements for Pope Leo XIV’s visit to Cusco, liaising with the Vatican delegation and various government authorities.
- Vatican News reported the death of Archbishop Alarcón Urrutia on October 31, noting that Pope Leo had sent a message with his condolences to the deceased prelate’s family and diocesan community.
- Launched in 2013, Aleteia is a free online daily news publication.
- Rumors circulated early on that the Pope with Peruvian nationality speaks this South American language, but he hasn’t spoken it publicly since his election.
- In the photo, the pope can be seen celebrating Mass in green vestments, accompanied by one of his personal secretaries, Peruvian Father Edgard Iván Rimaycuna Inga.
- Leo holds Peruvian citizenship and is so attached to Peru's people he gave them a shoutout in Spanish from the balcony of St.
- During his 11-16 November visit to Peru, Pope Leo will travel to the shrine in Zaña on 14 November for a prayer service concluding celebrations marking 300 years since St Turibius’ canonisation.
- As Bishop Robert Prevost of Chiclayo, the future pope frequently prayed at the shrine, including before his episcopal ordination in 2014.
- Church leaders say the visit highlights a theme central to Pope Leo’s ministry: that bishops must leave their offices, encounter their people and lead with a missionary spirit.
Sources
- EL PAÍS Englishlink
- Vaticannewslink
- aleteia.orglink
- OSV Newslink
- Aleteialink
- Cathstanlink
- Americamagazinelink
- Abc7link
- Catholicweeklylink
- Bgneslink
- Exaudilink
- Ewtnvaticanlink
- Ncregisterlink
- France24link
- WarpBeat — background on Pope Leo XIV to Visit Peru's Shrine of St. Turibius link
- WarpBeat — background on Pope Leo XIV to Visit Peru's Shrine of St. Turibius link
- PaulinesAfrica — video link