Pope Leo XIV returns to Chiclayo for emotional homecoming Mass
The pontiff visited his former Peruvian diocese on Friday, where 500,000 people gathered to greet him.
By Fatima Saleh ·
Pope Leo XIV returned to his former diocese of Chiclayo in Peru on Friday.
The 71-year-old pope arrived at the Pacific coast city, where he served as bishop from 2014 to 2023. He called the visit a "joy" and thanked the local faithful for their prayers during his recent hospitalization for lung cancer.
The Vatican estimated that one million people lined the motorcade route to the Mass site. Another 500,000 attended the service in a large field outside the city. Temperatures reached 31 degrees Celsius, or 88 degrees Fahrenheit, during the event.
Leo looped through the crowd in his popemobile. He told the assembly that he was overcoming his health issues with God's help. Many in the crowd cheered as he passed by. The local community has known him by his first name, Roberto, since his arrival in Peru.
Robert Prevost was born in Chicago and joined the Augustinian order before moving to Peru. He spent two decades as a missionary priest and bishop in the country. Pope Francis appointed him bishop of Chiclayo in 2014. Francis later moved Prevost to Rome in 2023 to lead the Vatican office for bishops.
Chiclayo residents have welcomed the pope's return with pride. Julie Albujar, who worked at the collection plate during the Mass, said the event felt like a party and a sign of local faith. She noted that the community is elated to have their former shepherd back.
The city has embraced the pope's legacy in commercial ways. The El Trébol restaurant displays framed photos of Prevost on a horse and in muddy boots. It sells a frozen treat called "Papaletas" with the pope's image in white chocolate. A sign on table number three, which offers a view of the cathedral, reads "mesa bendita," or blessed table.
A life-size cardboard cutout of the pope stands outside his former residence. An exhibit nearby displays the skullcaps he wore as a bishop, a cardinal, and a pope. The city's commercial center, with a population of 700,000, gained global attention when Prevost, then newly elected, greeted the crowd from St. Peter's Basilica in May 2025. He addressed them in Spanish and mentioned Chiclayo by name.
During the Mass, seminarian Darwin Sánchez carried the pope's miter. Sánchez recalled a previous incident where he mishandled a censer while serving under Prevost. The bishop's hand was burned by the hot charcoal, but he did not reprimand the young altar boy in front of others. Sánchez said this moment gave him the courage to pursue his vocation.
After the Mass, Leo visited a chapel dedicated to St. Oscar Romero. The construction of this chapel was spearheaded during Prevost's tenure as bishop. Its renovation was completed by Rev. Edgar Rimaycuna, the pope's personal secretary. The visit followed a pattern of Leo appearing more emotional and approachable during his trip to Peru.
The crowd ended the Mass by chanting, "El papa es Chiclayano!" The phrase translates to "The pope is from Chiclayo." Leo's time in the region included managing challenges such as the COVID-19 pandemic, severe floods, and a surge of Venezuelan migrants starting in 2018.
Prevost is known for his closeness to poor communities. Rev. John Lydon, who lived with Prevost in Trujillo from 1990 to 1999, said many Augustinians in Peru had a devotion to Romero. Lydon noted that the group referred to Romero as "Santo Oscar de las Americas" before the church canonized him.
