Pope Leo calls Peru homeland as crowds welcome him

Pope Leo XIV called Peru his “homeland” on Wednesday as he arrived in Lima for the final leg of a three-nation South American tour. The Vatican estimated that three million people welcomed him in the capital.

Crowds waved Peruvian and Vatican flags along his motorcade route. In Lima’s main plaza, people watched his plane land on a big screen, and some carried signs reading “Welcome home.” The Chicago-born pope spent two decades in Peru as a missionary priest and bishop, according to Al Jazeera.

“Today I understand how much of this land remains with me and how much of my own story also belongs to you,” Leo said. “That is why I can tell you, with deep gratitude, that I am also returning to my homeland.” He credited Peruvians with forming him as a pastor by sharing their lives, joys and struggles. Leo acquired Peruvian citizenship in 2015 and is the first pope from both Peru and the United States.

Leo met privately with President Keiko Fujimori at the presidential palace and sang the Peruvian national anthem during a welcome ceremony. In remarks to Fujimori, he called for justice and sensitivity in addressing Peru’s past. “Past events deserve to be treated with justice and sensitivity, leaving room for harmony to grow and for differences to be addressed with respect,” he said. Fujimori described the visit as an invitation to pursue Peru’s “unfinished task” of national reconciliation, Al Jazeera reported.

Al Jazeera also reported that Leo urged Peruvians to cultivate “honesty, integrity, and a willingness to engage with others,” calling those qualities essential to trust and democratic institutions.

Preparations for his arrival included a 46-foot statue of Leo in the port of Callao and pope-themed merchandise. CBS News reported that baristas in Lima offered cappuccinos bearing his image. “We love him so much because he’s worked here, he knows our sufferings, he knows it all,” Evelina Cruz, 85, told CBS News as she waited for him.

Leo is expected to spend three days in Chiclayo, the northern city where he served as bishop from 2015 to 2023, Al Jazeera reported. CBS News said he would celebrate Mass at the sanctuary of St. Turibius of Mogrovejo in nearby Zaña. It also reported plans for visits to Cusco and Pucallpa, in Peru’s Amazon, where he would celebrate Mass honoring Indigenous peoples. On Thursday, he is scheduled to speak from the square in front of Lima’s cathedral about the challenges and hopes facing Peruvians.

The 71-year-old pope arrived about a month after surgery in Italy to remove a lesion from his right lung. The Vatican said surgeons confirmed adenocarcinoma and that the operation was successful. Doctors cleared him for the trip, which began in Uruguay and continued through Argentina.

In Uruguay, Leo cited his experience of illness while calling for healthcare access regardless of a person’s resources. “Ensuring that healthcare is accessible to everyone, regardless of their resources, is a duty that confronts every society,” he said.