Pope Leo visited a remote town in Peru's western Andes on Saturday (14 November), returning to a community he once served as bishop during a deeply personal stop on his 12-day South America tour.
The pontiff travelled to Santa Cruz de Succhabamba, a town of fewer than 6,000 residents located about 100 kilometres east of Peru's Pacific coast. He had visited the community regularly while serving as bishop of Chiclayo between 2015 and 2023.
Unlike his previous journeys along winding mountain roads, Leo arrived by helicopter to crowds of cheering residents. A local band welcomed him with a song declaring, “Pope Leo, welcome home.”
Buildings throughout the colonial-style town centre were decorated with murals depicting the pontiff during his years as a bishop in Peru.
Originally from Chicago, Leo spent around two decades in Peru as a missionary and holds both American and Peruvian citizenship. His visit marks a historic return as the first pope to hold Peruvian citizenship.
Speaking at a local parish shortly after arriving, Leo expressed his happiness at returning to the community.
“It is like a very big dream that the Lord has allowed this servant to come here,” he said, describing his visit as a moment of “great joy”.
The town lies in the Cajamarca department, one of Peru's poorest regions, where up to 40 per cent of residents live in poverty, according to the country's statistics office.
Despite its remote location, the community attracted thousands of people hoping to see the pontiff.
Leo celebrated Mass in a field near the local parish, drawing an estimated 20,000 worshippers, according to the Vatican.
Among those attending were former parishioners and clergy who knew him as Bishop Robert Prevost before his election as pope.
Reverend Kevin Noriega, a local priest ordained by Leo in 2018, recalled how the future pontiff frequently drove himself to the town in a pick-up truck and stayed for several days to serve the rural community.
“There is enormous hope and emotion today,” Noriega said, adding that residents were eager to see the man they once called “Father Robert”, now leading the Catholic Church.
During his sermon, Leo thanked those who had travelled to attend the Mass and encouraged them to remain hopeful despite their difficulties.
“Brothers and sisters, the Lord knows the paths you travel, your hardships, your worries and the challenges you face,” he told the congregation.
The visit to Santa Cruz forms part of the final and most personal leg of Leo's three-nation South America tour, which has attracted an estimated 12 million people.
The pope was scheduled to return to Chiclayo on Saturday afternoon before travelling to Cusco, the former Inca capital, and Pucallpa, a gateway to the Amazon rainforest, on Sunday.
His visit to Peru has combined major public gatherings with reunions in communities where he spent years working as a missionary and bishop before becoming head of the Catholic Church.
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