Pope Leo XIV came home to Peru this week, and Peru turned out to meet him. The Holy See estimated that about 3 million people lined the streets of Lima on Wednesday evening, Nov. 11, as the pope traveled from the airport into the capital. Vatican figures describe it as the largest crowd of his papacy so far, topping the roughly 2.5 million who gathered for his outdoor Mass in Buenos Aires earlier in the week.
On Thursday morning, Nov. 12, the pope met with Peru’s bishops, received the keys to the city from Lima’s mayor, led midday prayer at the Cathedral Basilica of St. John the Apostle and Evangelist, and then joined an estimated 40,000 people in the Plaza de Armas outside the cathedral for a gathering on the challenges and hopes facing the Peruvian people, according to EWTN News’ live coverage. A prayer vigil with young people and university students was scheduled for Thursday evening at the National Stadium.
A missionary returns to the people he served
For Pope Leo, born Robert Prevost in Chicago, Peru is far more than a stop on a tour. He first arrived as an Augustinian missionary priest in 1985, received Peruvian citizenship in 2015, and served as bishop of Chiclayo in northern Peru from 2015 to 2023. He holds both U.S. and Peruvian citizenship. When he stepped onto the loggia of St. Peter’s Basilica as the newly elected pope, he took a moment to greet the people of Chiclayo. This is his first return to Peru since that day.
He landed at Callao Air Base at about 5 p.m. local time after a flight of roughly 2,000 miles from Buenos Aires, OSV News reported. President Keiko Fujimori met him at the foot of the airplane stairs, two children handed him flowers, and a children’s choir sang. Some people in the waiting crowds held “Welcome home” signs. In his first speech in the country, to government and civic leaders at the Gran Teatro Nacional, the pope called Peru one of his many homes and said he was returning to his homeland. He told Peruvians he now understands “how much of my own story also belongs to you,” ANI reported.
A call to honesty, peace and reconciliation
The pope’s message to leaders was practical. He urged Peruvians to practice honesty and integrity and to be willing to talk with one another, qualities he described as necessary for trust and for healthy democratic institutions. He also called for families to be able to work and live without fear, and he pointed to St. Rose of Lima, the first canonized saint of the Americas, as an example.
Those words land in a country facing real strain. OSV News, citing Associated Press reporting, noted that Peru’s homicide rate has risen to 10.7 per 100,000 people, up from 5.8 five years earlier, and the government reported that 25.7% of Peruvians lived in poverty in 2025. President Fujimori, who took office in July, is Peru’s ninth president in 10 years. In remarks to her, the pope encouraged her to build trust among Peruvians and to address the country’s past with justice and sensitivity, according to Al Jazeera. Fujimori said the visit invites Peru to take up its “unfinished task” of national reconciliation.
What the Bible says about being sent
Pope Leo’s life in Peru began with a simple act of obedience: a young priest who went where he was sent. Jesus gave that same commission to His followers before His ascension:
“And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature.” — Mark 16:15 (KJV)
Most Christians will never move to another continent. But the call to go still reaches into ordinary places: a neighbor’s porch, a hospital room, a school pickup line, a Thanksgiving table. The crowds in Lima were not only cheering a famous visitor. Many were welcoming back a pastor who had baptized their children, visited their towns and stayed for years. His goddaughter, Mildred Camacho, told OSV News the visit felt like a family member coming back after a long time away.
Why it matters for families
- Faithfulness is often quiet. Decades of patient service in small towns came before any worldwide spotlight.
- Words matter at home, too. The pope’s call to honesty and real conversation is a good fit for the dinner table as well as the halls of government.
- Pray for peace. Families in Peru and across Latin America face crime and poverty; this is a timely moment to remember them in prayer.
Earlier on this trip, Upstormed News covered the pope’s Buenos Aires Mass and his call for families to share their faith, as well as his message to 650,000 people in Córdoba.
What to watch next
Lima is the final leg of the pope’s 12-day South American journey, which also took him to Uruguay and Argentina. Still ahead, according to OSV News: a large outdoor Mass in Chiclayo, the diocese he once led, plus visits to Cusco in the Andes and Pucallpa, an Amazon city on the Ucayali River that is a center of Catholic missionary work. He is scheduled to return to Rome on Nov. 17. Upstormed News will follow the rest of the visit.
Read more: Pope Leo Visits Argentine Prison, Tells 2 Million at Luján: ‘Rise Up and Walk’
Who first answered the call to serve in your church or community, and how did their example shape you? Share your thoughts in the comments.
Sources: OSV News via Catholic Review, “3 million people give Pope Leo XIV a warm welcome as he arrives in Peru, his home for two decades” (November 12, 2026); Al Jazeera, “Pope Leo welcomed by millions in his second ‘homeland’ of Peru” (November 12, 2026); ANI, “Pope Leo XIV returns to Peru to big welcome, calls it his ‘homeland’” (November 12, 2026); EWTN News, “LIVE UPDATES: Pope Leo XIV meets the faithful in square outside Lima cathedral” (November 12, 2026); King James Bible Online, Mark 16:15.
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