Pope Leo XIV returns to Peru where he served as archbishop

Pope Leo XIV returned to Chiclayo, Peru, his former diocese and adopted home, as the final stop of his 12-day South American tour. An estimated 500,000 people attended an open-air Mass, while about a million lined his motorcade route; Leo thanked residents for their support as he continued recovering from lung-cancer surgery. Many Peruvians remember him as a hands-on church leader who served poor communities during floods and the COVID-19 pandemic. The visit highlighted his advocacy for social welfare and multilateralism, positions that contrast with Argentine President Javier Milei’s austerity agenda and a more unilateral U.S. foreign policy. The enthusiastic welcome came amid a longer-term decline in Catholic affiliation in parts of Latin America, including Peru.