Peru Homecoming: Pope Leo XIV Returns After Decades of Service
The American-born pontiff will visit his former diocese, where he served as a priest and bishop, amid political instability and recent abuse disclosures.
By Sanjay Ivanov ·
Pope Leo XIV will arrive in Peru as the final stop on his three-country tour of Latin America, marking a return to the country where he spent over two decades serving the Catholic Church. For the Peruvian public, the visit represents more than a state reception for the Supreme Pontiff; it is the return of a local figure who lived among them as a parish priest and diocesan leader.
Robert Prevost first arrived in Peru in 1985. He was posted to Chulucanas, a region still recovering from devastating floods. Roads had been destroyed, and poverty was extreme. Prevost, who had lived in Rome for four years before his assignment, fell ill with typhoid fever shortly after his arrival. He was treated at a facility named Clinica Roma, a coincidence he later described as a sign from God to accept his new mission.
He served as a parish priest in Chulucanas and later as a formator for Augustinians in Trujillo. In 2001, he was elected prior general of the Augustinian order, which required him to return to Rome. He remained in the Vatican until 2013. He did not expect to return to Peru as a bishop, citing a prior disagreement with Pope Francis over personnel matters. Nevertheless, Francis appointed him apostolic administrator of Chiclayo in 2014.
The Chiclayo diocese was considered an Opus Dei diocese. Francis's selection of an Augustinian was viewed as an assertion of papal authority over local appointments. Bishop Prevost adopted a consultative leadership style. Opus Dei member Aldo Llanos, a philosophy professor at the University of Piura, noted that Prevost trusted the group and praised their work ethic during an informal meeting in May 2025.
Prevost gained prominence during the 2017 El Niño coastal floods. He visited affected areas in the Lambayeque region and mobilized business leaders to provide supplies. During the 2020 pandemic, Peru recorded over 213,000 deaths by July 2022. Facing oxygen shortages in northern hospitals, Prevost launched the Oxygen of Hope campaign. This initiative raised funds to purchase two oxygen plants for free distribution to residents.
In April 2020, Francis also named Prevost apostolic administrator of the Diocese of Callao. The diocese was engulfed in internal conflicts following the resignation of Bishop Jose Luis del Palacio. Prevost focused on dialogue with clergy and financial reviews for one year. Pope Francis appointed Luis Alberto Barrera Pacheco to take over the see in April 2021.
The current visit arrives as Peru elects Keiko Fujimori as its ninth president in 10 years. The country faces polarization and protests over high costs. The Vatican announced that the pope will meet with abuse victims during his trip. Peruvian advocates view this with cautious optimism. Cardinal Pedro Barreto Jimeno, the retired archbishop of Huancayo, said on Nov. 1 that the pope will find a country "battered and broken." He stated that the pontiff's message will encourage a space for dialogue that is "disarmed and disarming."
Source: The Catholic Sun
