Pope Leo XIV Begins Final Leg of South American Tour in Peru

Pope Leo XIV arrived in Lima on Wednesday to begin the final leg of a 12-day South American journey across three nations. According to a Vatican statement, an estimated three million people gathered in the Peruvian capital to welcome the pontiff, marking the largest crowd of his papacy following an estimated 2.5 million attendees at an outdoor Mass in Buenos Aires earlier in the week.

The 71-year-old head of the Catholic Church was born in Chicago in the United States, but holds Peruvian citizenship after serving as a missionary priest and bishop in the country for two decades. Speaking at Lima’s Gran Teatro Nacional, the Pope reflected on his connection to the host nation. "Today, I understand how much of this land remains with me and how much of my own story also belongs to you," he stated. "I can tell you, with deep gratitude, that I am returning to my homeland."

In a speech delivered to President Keiko Fujimori following her narrow election victory earlier this year, Pope Leo called for measures to sustain public trust and support democratic institutions. He also addressed Peru's past conflict, stating that past events deserved to be treated with justice and sensitivity to permit harmony to grow. The remarks referred to the period in the 1990s when former President Alberto Fujimori led the country during an armed conflict against Maoist Shining Path rebels.

President Fujimori stated in her welcoming address that the papal visit represented an invitation for Peru to pursue national reconciliation. When Alberto Fujimori received a presidential pardon in 2017, the pontiff—then serving as Bishop Robert Prevost—had publicly stated that the former president should personally seek forgiveness from victims. The current journey to Uruguay, Argentina, and Peru is the Pope's first international tour since undergoing surgery for lung cancer less than a month ago.

In preparation for the visit, local authorities in Callao erected a 14-metre statue of the Pope in a seaside park, while crowds assembled in central Lima wearing commemorative shirts and holding banners. Pope Leo is scheduled to spend three days in the northern city of Chiclayo, where he served as bishop from 2015 to 2023, before concluding his trip.

Written by Freya Stensrud freya.stensrud@alpineweekly.com