Pope Leo XIV returned to Peru on Wednesday, November 11, receiving an exuberant welcome in the country where he spent more than two decades as a missionary priest and church leader before becoming pope. Local officials estimated that 3 million people lined his arrival route in Lima, according to Reuters.
The visit opened the final stage of his South American journey after stops in Uruguay and Argentina. But for the former Robert Francis Prevost, a Peruvian citizen since 2015, the arrival carried a personal significance beyond the formal welcome.
“That is why I can tell you, with deep gratitude, that I am also returning to my homeland,” Leo said, according to Associated Press reporting.
Lima welcomes a pope it remembers as a pastor
Crowds gathered along the convoy route, waving flags and balloons and chanting his name as Leo travelled through Lima in an open-air popemobile. Reuters attributed the crowd estimate to local officials; it was not an independently verified attendance count.
The Washington Post described people praying, crying and raising phones as the pope passed. Its report presented the reception as a homecoming for a church leader whose relationship with Peru long predates his election to the papacy.
President Keiko Fujimori welcomed Leo on arrival. Later, at Lima’s Gran Teatro Nacional, he addressed representatives of the government, civil society and the diplomatic corps.
“This return visit holds a very special meaning for me,” he said in the speech published by the Vatican, recalling the years he shared in Peruvians’ lives, listened to their concerns and learned from their faith.
How Peru shaped Robert Prevost’s ministry
Leo first arrived in Peru in 1985 as an Augustinian missionary. His subsequent work in the country included service in Chulucanas and Trujillo, followed years later by leadership of the Diocese of Chiclayo.
Pope Francis appointed him apostolic administrator of Chiclayo in November 2014. He became the diocesan bishop in September 2015 and served until 2023, when Francis called him to Rome. Distinguishing those appointments matters: his leadership in Chiclayo began before his formal appointment as its bishop.
His Peruvian citizenship, acquired in 2015, made the relationship more than a long overseas posting. He returns as both the first U.S.-born pope and a citizen of the country welcoming him.
People in Chiclayo remember his practical involvement during emergencies. Associated Press reporting recalled his efforts to secure oxygen-production plants during the COVID-19 pandemic, his assistance after torrential rain and his visits to celebrate Mass in prison.
Those memories help explain why many Peruvians still identify him with the priest and bishop they knew as “Padre Robert,” rather than solely with his present office.
Chiclayo, the Andes and the Amazon on the itinerary
The six-day visit, scheduled for November 11–16, includes Lima, Chiclayo, Cusco and Pucallpa, according to Peru’s Andina news agency.
Chiclayo is a particularly personal stop: Leo is due to return to the diocese he led and visit the nearby sanctuary of St. Turibius of Mogrovejo in Zaña, a place where he prayed during his years in Peru.
The itinerary also reaches beyond his former diocese. In Pucallpa, in the Amazon region, he is scheduled to celebrate Mass, while the Cusco visit includes encounters with representatives of local religious and cultural traditions. These remain scheduled events, not completed appearances.
Vatican News said the Peruvian stage would conclude with Mass at Las Palmas Air Base in Lima on Monday, November 16, before his departure for Rome.
A return grounded in familiar communities
The welcome in Lima marked the beginning of a journey through places connected to Leo’s earlier ministry. For the pope, Peru is not simply a destination on an international itinerary: in his own account, it is a country whose people helped shape his understanding of pastoral leadership.
That history gives the coming visits their particular weight. The crowds are receiving the head of the Catholic Church, but many are also welcoming back a former neighbour, priest and bishop.
