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Two Peruvian Bishops Die Before Pope Leo XIV's Visit
Confirmed
In Short: Two Peruvian bishops died days before Pope Leo XIV's upcoming visit to Peru.
Pope Leo XIV's upcoming visit to Peru has been preceded by the deaths of two Peruvian bishops, Archbishop Alarcón Urrutia and Bishop Carrión, both of whom passed away due to undisclosed illnesses.
Archbishop Alarcón Urrutia, who was coordinating preparatory arrangements for the Pope's visit to Cusco, died on October 30, according to Vatican News.
Bishop Carrión, 76, also died on the same day, according to Peruvian media.
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 Peru on Friday, marking his first trip to the region since his election in May 2025.
During his visit, Pope Leo will travel to the Shrine of St Turibius of Mogrovejo in Zaña, a deeply personal stop for him as it ties to the beginning of his episcopal ministry.
The Pope's visit will include significant stops in Lima, Chiclayo, Cusco, and Pucallpa, where he will meet with communities of Amazonian peoples.
Pope Leo XIV's visit is expected to carry a message of social justice, a theme that resonates deeply with his Peruvian heritage and his time spent in the country.
Archbishop Estrada Herrera highlighted the social commitment of his predecessor, noting his extensive collaboration with the Peruvian Episcopal Conference, particularly in promoting the synodal process.
Background
Two Peruvian bishops died days before Pope Leo XIV's upcoming visit to Peru.
Two Peruvian bishops have died days before Pope Leo XIV's upcoming visit to Peru.
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.
- 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.
- John Paul ordered that the Peruvian bishops begin an investigation of Gutiérrez – above all, over Marxism’s influence on his work.
- The name itself was coined in a 1968 lecture by Gustavo Gutiérrez, a Peruvian theologian and priest.
- The Shining Path, a Maoist guerrilla group, was waging a war of terrorism against the Peruvian government, setting off bombs across Peru.
- Leo holds Peruvian citizenship and is so attached to Peru's people he gave them a shoutout in Spanish from the balcony of St.
- He died in Zaña in 1606 and is today the patron of Latin America’s bishops.
- As Bishop Robert Prevost of Chiclayo, the future pope frequently prayed at the shrine, including before his episcopal ordination in 2014.