Leo returns to Chiclayo with joy
The pope celebrated Mass before 500,000 people in the Peruvian city where he served as bishop for nearly a decade.
By Charles Reed ·
Pope Leo XIV arrived in Chiclayo on Friday and declared it a joy to be back in the city where he once served as bishop. He stood on a dusty field outside the town, a commercial hub on Peru's northern coast with a population of 700,000. The Vatican estimated that 1 million people lined the route of his motorcade, while 500,000 attended the Mass he celebrated on Peruvian soil.
The pontiff, known locally as Padre Robert, spoke to the crowd about his recent recovery from lung cancer surgery. He told the faithful that he was recovering with God's help. His presence in the region had become a global topic earlier this year, specifically on May 8, 2025. On that date, the newly elected pope addressed the crowd from the loggia of St. Peter's Basilica in Spanish, specifically mentioning Chiclayo by name.
Julie Albujar woke before dawn to travel to the site with her sister. They were assigned to take the collection during the service. She described the event as a party and a sign of the community's love for the pope. The former Robert Prevost spent two decades in Peru as a missionary priest and bishop. Pope Francis appointed him to lead the diocese in 2014, a role he held until 2023 when he moved to Rome to head the Vatican's bishops' office.
During his tenure, Prevost faced several crises, including the arrival of Venezuelan migrants, severe floods, and the pandemic. He focused on social justice and the needs of the poor. Rolando Antonio Mendoza sold posters of the pope near the cathedral where Leo used to pray. Mendoza noted that the new pope had not forgotten his homeland. Leo also visited students at a local Catholic university, warning that technological progress can become a tool of oppression if it ignores worker dignity.
The pope's demeanor in Peru differed from his usual reserved public persona. He appeared emotional and giddy, even crying on Friday. Darwin Sánchez, a seminarian who carried the pope's miter, said Leo was very moved before the Mass began. Sánchez recalled an incident from his time as an altar boy when he dropped a censer chain into hot charcoal, burning the hand of the then-bishop. Prevost kept the censer and did not reprimand him publicly.
After the Mass, Leo visited a chapel dedicated to Saint Oscar Romero. He had oversaw the construction of that chapel during his time as bishop. The project was completed by the Rev. Edgar Rimaycuna, who served as his personal secretary. The choice of location signaled a connection to the priest who defended the poor against state repression in El Salvador. When Prevost arrived in Chiclayo, the diocese had a strong presence from the conservative Opus Dei group. He introduced a decentralized model of leadership that gave laypeople a greater role in the church's outreach.
Leo met with priests, nuns, and lay teams on Friday. He reminded them of the model he implemented over a decade ago. This structure assigned responsibility for spreading the faith to every baptized person. He stated that working for justice and peace are requirements of their mission, not optional tasks. As the Mass ended, the crowd chanted in Spanish to confirm their pride in their spiritual leader. They yelled that the pope is Chiclayano.
