Millions greet Pope Leo in Lima as he calls Peru his homeland and urges healing
Photo: Religión Digital (file photo)Throngs of people flooded the streets of Lima on Thursday as Pope Leo XIV opened the second day of an emotional return to the country where he spent about 20 years as a missionary and bishop, a homecoming that has already broken crowd records.
The pope, the first Peruvian citizen to lead the Catholic Church, arrived in Lima on Wednesday evening and was welcomed by President Keiko Fujimori. Speaking at the Gran Teatro Nacional, he declared to wide applause that he considered Peru his homeland.
A record crowd of 3 million people lined the streets of Lima on Wednesday, according to Reuters. Pilgrims, families and church groups packed much of the capital's historic center, which was effectively shut down as people lined streets for miles, pressing against police and security barriers as Leo toured in an open-air popemobile.
Carmen Moreno, 78, wiped away tears after watching the popemobile pass through Lima's Plaza de Armas on Wednesday evening, where she had waited with her daughter for seven hours. "He is returning to the land where he became who he is," she said. "I feel so much joy seeing how much we, the Peruvian people, love him."
Leo also urged President Fujimori on Wednesday to confront the wounds of the country's turbulent past and rebuild trust among her people, after her narrow victory in an election earlier this year that was marred by fraud accusations.
On Thursday, the pope met with Peru's bishops at the Archbishop's residence in Lima, stopping along the way at the Sanctuario de Las Nazarenas and the Palacio Municipal, where he was presented with the keys to the city. He then led Midday Prayer with bishops, priests, consecrated men and women, seminarians and pastoral councils at Lima's Cathedral Basilica of Saint John the Apostle and Evangelist.
In his homily, Leo said he had come "as a father and brother in the faith, as a shepherd who loves his flock," and urged the Church in Peru to keep alive "the flame of this love." He called for reconciliation, saying Peru needs a Church "capable of building bridges where others raise walls," and repeated his call for "a peace that is unarmed and disarming," rooted in dialogue and fraternity and avoiding every form of polarization.
He held up Saint Turibius of Mogrovejo, the 16th-century Archbishop of Lima whose remains lie in the cathedral, as a model: "a tireless, enterprising and creative apostle, a courageous defender of the poor and a generous shepherd, ready to pour himself out for his flock."
After the prayer service, the pope walked to the Plaza de Armas for a meeting on the "Challenges and Hopes for the Future of the Peruvian People." He had six events scheduled on Thursday, including a prayer vigil with young people at the national soccer stadium.
Originally from Chicago, Leo first arrived in Peru in 1985 as an Augustinian missionary and later served as Bishop of Chiclayo from 2015 to 2023. He holds both U.S. and Peruvian citizenship. Peru is the final and most personal leg of a three-country South American tour that began Nov. 6 and runs through Nov. 17, taking in Uruguay and Argentina before Peru.
On Friday, he is due to travel to the northern city of Chiclayo, before continuing over the weekend to Cusco, in the Andes mountains, and the Amazonian city of Pucallpa.
The trip comes less than a month after the pope underwent surgery for lung cancer. He has seemed in good form throughout the journey, leading about five public events a day and giving long speeches in a firm, clear voice.
Sources: Reuters, "Millions throng streets of Lima for Pope Leo's emotional return to Peru" (Nov. 12, 2026, full text verified); Holy See Press Office, "Celebration of the Midday Prayer with Bishops, Priests, Consecrated Men and Women, Seminarians, Synodal Teams and Pastoral Councils in the Basilica Cathedral of Saint John the Apostle and Evangelist" (Nov. 12, 2026, full text verified). Event date verified: November 12, 2026 (Lima events; arrival Nov. 11).
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