Home · Faith · Nov 7 archive

Pope Leo XIV Returns to Chiclayo, Peru

Updated 9:28 PM ET · 3:42 PM ETConfirmedShare via:          

Faith Desk

In Short: Pope Leo XIV, formerly Bishop Robert Prevost, returns to Chiclayo, Peru, where he once served as bishop.

Pope Leo visits Uruguay, Argentina, Peru on South American papal tour. CBS Mornings

Pope Leo XIV, formerly Bishop Robert Prevost, is set to return to Chiclayo, Peru, where he once served as bishop, marking an emotional homecoming for the American-born pontiff.

Father Hugo Gabriel Sánchez, who worked closely with Pope Leo XIV during his time in Chiclayo, highlighted the pope's deep connection to the city, noting, 'He remains the same close friend as always, attentive to us and concerned for our well-being.'

Sánchez emphasized that the pope's return is 'a gift from God' and that he is looking forward to reuniting with his former diocese.

The pope's visit will also include financial support for the construction of the Óscar Romero Chapel in La Victoria, as announced by his secretary, Peruvian priest Egar Rimaycuna Inga.

Pope Leo XIV's return to Peru comes as the country grapples with political polarization, economic strain, and ongoing concerns from clergy abuse survivors.

During his time as bishop, Pope Leo XIV led the Diocese of Chiclayo through devastating natural disasters and secured life-saving oxygen during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The pope's visit will conclude on November 13, with his return journey to Rome the following day.

Pope Leo XIV's return to Chiclayo is expected to be one of the key moments of his trip, reflecting his deep attachment to the city.

The pope's visit to Peru will be marked by his financial support for the construction of the Óscar Romero Chapel in La Victoria, as announced by his secretary, Peruvian priest Egar Rimaycuna Inga.

Cardinal Pedro Barreto Jimeno, the retired archbishop of Huancayo, noted that Pope Leo XIV will find a country increasingly 'battered and broken,' where people wander 'like sheep without a shepherd,' as it is written in the Gospel of Matthew.

Pope Leo XIV's visit to Peru will conclude on November 13, with his return journey to Rome the following day.

What this adds

Background

What's confirmed

• Recalling the pope’s missionary journey, the priest highlighted the enthusiasm with which “Bishop Roberto” approached major projects and pastoral challenges.
• St. Augustine Convent, one of the most significant colonial vestiges in Peru, located in the Zaña district, Chiclayo province. | Credit: Agencia Andina At the Shrine of Our Lady of Peace, Robert Prevost entrusted his episcopal ministry to the Virgin Mary, as noted in a handwritten message in the shrine’s guest book dated Oct. 21, 2015.
• From Chulucanas to Chiclayo, by way of Trujillo, here's a look at the main stages of his life in Peru.
• Sánchez said he has no doubt that Leo XIV is preparing for this trip “with much prayer,” just as the Church in Peru is doing.
• In just a few days, that friend, who wishes Sánchez a happy birthday every year and with whom he shared “hearty laughter” when he was Sánchez’s bishop, will return to Peru as pontiff.
• For Father Hugo Gabriel Sánchez, Pope Leo “remains the same close friend as always, attentive to us and concerned for our well-being.” The last time Father Hugo Gabriel Sánchez met Robert Prevost in Chiclayo, Peru, the future pope had just been created a cardinal.
• A mototaxi pass drives past a banner of Pope Leo XIV at Pimentel beach in Chiclayo, Peru, Thursday, Nov.
• 6-17 trip will include stops in Montevideo, Paysandú and Florida in Uruguay; Buenos Aires, Córdoba and Luján in Argentina; and Lima, Chiclayo, Cusco and Pucallpa in Peru.
• His return to Chiclayo, the diocese he led before his election, is expected to be one of the key moments of the trip.
• Peter, the young priest acknowledged that this occasion will be different.
• Pope Leo “will find a country increasingly ‘battered and broken,’ where people wander ‘like sheep without a shepherd,’ as it is written in the Gospel of Matthew,” Cardinal Pedro Barreto Jimeno, the retired archbishop of Huancayo, said in an interview with Religion Digital published 1 November.
• Father Hugo Gabriel Sánchez, a priest who worked closely with Pope Leo XIV during his time in Chiclayo, highlighted the pope's deep connection to the city. 'He remains the same close friend as always, attentive to us and concerned for our well-being,' Sánchez said.

What's still developing

• People walk past a mural dedicated to Pope Leo XIV in Chiclayo, Peru, Sept.
• The occasion brings together two significant aspects of Pope Leo’s life: his Augustinian spirituality and his service to the community of Chiclayo.
• As bishop of Chiclayo in Peru, Pope Leo XIV sought to build a basilica at the site of a Eucharistic miracle, currently a chapel.
• Despite repeated invitations, Francis, the first Latin American pope, never returned to Argentina during his 12-year papacy.
• A little over a year after his papal election, Pope Leo is returning not just as the Vicar of Christ, but as a longtime missionary and shepherd.
• “There I came to know first-hand the faith of a people from whom I received so much,” the pope wrote of Peru.
• "I am looking forward to returning to the continent where I've experienced so many moments of my life," the pope said in a Vatican statement released ahead of the trip.
• After returning briefly to the United States in 1987, Prevost was sent back to Peru the following year.
• Peru, the final and longest leg of the Apostolic Journey that begins in the coming hours and will take him first to Uruguay and Argentina, is not the birthplace of Robert Francis Prevost, the first Pope born in the United States.
• From the coastline overlooking the Pacific Ocean to the Amazon rainforest, from colonial cities to the Andes, Peru is awaiting Pope Leo XIV.
• Pope Leo XIV meets with delegations from Villanova and Notre Dame university basketball teams Pope Leo XIV meets with delegations from Villanova and Notre Dame university basketball teams VATICAN CITY (AP) — Pope Leo XIV on Saturday told the basketball teams from his alma mater Villanova and fellow Catholic university Notre Dame — in Rome for their season opener — that in matters of sport, the pontiff is neutral.
• Jay Wright, the former Villanova coach who led the men’s team to two NCAA championships and was inducted this month into the National Collegiate Hall of Fame, said “this pilgrimage to Rome and meeting the pope is bigger than the game.” The audience had been up in the air after the 71-year-old pope underwent lung cancer surgery on Oct.

Sources

• AP Newslink
• Catholicweeklylink
• Eurasia Reviewlink
• Ewtnnewslink
• Ewtnvaticanlink
• OSV Newslink
• Warpbeatlink
• ZENIT - Englishlink
• aleteia.orglink
• Cruxnowlink
• Ewtnnewslink
• Ncronlinelink
• Heraldbulletinlink
• Warpbeatlink
• Latintimeslink
• Ottumwacourierlink
• CBS Mornings — video link
• EWTN News — video link
• TeleSUR English — video link