Peru celebrates ‘Chiclayanised’ Pope Leo

‘His closeness, his ability to say what was needed, his spirit of communion and commitment to the most needy, have left an indelible mark on our Church and our society.’

Peruvians celebrated Pope Leo XVI as the first Peruvian pope, in recognition of his 38 years’ ministry in the country where he also holds citizenship.

In addition to messages of congratulation from President Dina Boluarte and the Mayor of Lima Rafael López Aliaga, the Peruvian bishops’ conference issued a statement praising his “wisdom, humility and love for the people of God”. 

“His closeness, his ability to say what was needed, his spirit of communion and commitment to the most needy, have left an indelible mark on our Church and our society,” it said. 

Peru’s two other cardinals also commended Pope Leo. The Archbishop of Lima Cardinal Carlos Castillo took part in the conclave that elected him and ate lunch with him the day after his election.

In a message to Peruvian Catholics, he remembered the Diocese of Chiclayo where the future pope served as bishop for 10 years.

“The new pope is a Peruvian, one of us, who became ‘Chiclayanised’,” he said. “The election of Cardinal [Robert] Prevost as pope is very important because it builds on the work of Leo XIII, the great author of Rerum Novarum, in which the church began the path of the social encyclicals. So, thanks to the election of Leo XIV, we can all go back to the deeply spiritual and social meaning of our faith.” 

Cardinal Pedro Barreto, who aged 81 was too old to vote in the conclave, told the Spanish daily El País that by the end of the sixth general congregation before the conclave, where all cardinals could discuss the profile of the next pope, most supported continuity with Pope Francis.

This meant, he said, “combating abuses, economic transparency, the reform of the Roman curia, synodality as a way forward for the Church, care for human life and working to reduce the effects of climate change”.

Cardinal Barreto said that, “though we can never know for certain”, he thought the vote would not have been close, and that Prevost easily got more than 100 votes.

On the ground in Peru the excitement took many forms. A clothing firm in Lima produced T-shirts, hoodies and caps with pictures of Pope Leo and slogans emphasising his Peruvian nationality. 

In the Diocese of Chiclayo the main square was packed on Saturday evening for a Mass of thanksgiving. A local priest, Fr Jorge Millán Cotrina, appointed as parish priest of the cathedral by the then Bishop Prevost, said his clergy found him very easy to work with. “If you wanted to talk to him, you didn’t need to make an appointment,” he said.

Cardinal Robert Prevost OSA from United States is Pope Leo XIV

First Urbi et Orbi Blessing of Pope Leo XIV

Stay updated — add us as a preferred news source on Google: