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Pope Leo Addresses Peru in Lima Theater

Pope Leo Addresses Peru in Lima Theater

Last updated on: November 12, 2026 at 12:10 am by Father Pablo Migone

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Pope Leo Addresses Peru in Lima Theater 2026-11-12T00:10:42-05:00 Father Pablo Migone

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Pope Leo has returned to Peru! After a brief greeting from Peru’s president, Keiko Fujimori, at the Air Base in Callao, the Pope immediately headed to the Presidential Palace in Lima for a formal welcome. At the Palace, Pope Leo XIV showed tears of joy as he sung the Peruvian national anthem. Millions greeted him along miles and miles of sidewalks filled to overflowing. At the National Theater he sat at a well-lit stage with President Fujimori for a beautiful rendition of Peruvian sacred music from the early 1600s and for welcome speeches. Here is an abridged text of the Pope’s first address to Peru:

I am profoundly happy to return to Peru.

This return has a very special meaning for me. My story with Peru began long before the Lord entrusted me with the Diocese of Chiclayo. For years, I shared in the lives of its people, listened to their concerns, and learned from their faith. Many welcomed me into their homes, shared their tables with me — and, of course, some good ceviche — and made me feel like one of their own. In 2015, I received Peruvian citizenship. That act gave expression to a bond that this people had been weaving into my life long before. Today, I understand how much of this land remains with me, and how much of my own story also belongs to all of you.

I return as the Successor of Peter, called to serve the universal Church. From this responsibility, I recognize in those years a part of the journey through which the Lord shaped me as a pastor. Peru has a millennia-old history, shaped by peoples of diverse languages and traditions. Part of that history continues to be told in Quechua, Aymara, and the languages of the Amazon. Over the centuries, other heritages have joined this history, including the Afro-Peruvian and Asian-Peruvian traditions, which have also helped shape the country’s identity. Nearly five hundred years ago, the proclamation of the Gospel opened a decisive chapter in that history.

To love a people means to desire that everyone can live with dignity among them, to take an interest in their well-being, and to be willing to offer something of oneself for their good. This is a sentiment I have come to understand more deeply thanks to you, and one that I wish to share today with those who hold public responsibilities. To understand the needs of those who are far away, one must begin by listening to them. I remember seemingly simple conversations in which the difficulties faced by a family or the hopes of an entire community would come to light. Listening requires particular patience when disagreements or painful experiences arise.

Peru, too, has gone through difficult moments that have tested the coexistence of its people. The events of the past deserve to be addressed with justice and sensitivity, leaving room for harmony to grow and for differences to be faced with respect.

I think of the many Peruvians who live outside their country and who, while building their lives in other lands, preserve their affection for their families and contribute to their communities of origin. In cities far away, the image of the Lord of Miracles continues to bring Peruvians together, as they find in this devotion a way to preserve their ties with their homeland. I myself have seen Rome dressed in purple! Distance does not necessarily diminish one’s love for one’s homeland; sometimes it allows us to recognize more clearly how much we have received from it.

I encourage Peru to continue contributing to regional and international cooperation and to foster understanding, even when positions may seem irreconcilable. May we never give up seeking ways to alleviate the suffering of peoples and advance toward peace. The relationship between Peru and the Holy See is part of this spirit of cooperation. The Peruvian Constitution recognizes the Catholic Church as an important element in the historical, cultural, and moral formation of the nation and provides for cooperation between the State and the Church, within a framework of independence and autonomy, while also respecting other religious denominations (cf. Article 50).

The Church, mindful of this recognition, wishes to continue offering the Peruvian people what it has received as its mission: to proclaim the Gospel, accompany those who suffer, and serve the dignity of every person. This commitment is made visible in its communities, in its educational and charitable works, and in the many lay faithful who, moved by their faith, participate in the life of the country through their professions and civic responsibilities.

May this relationship continue to develop through mutual respect, always seeking the good of all Peruvians. From the See of Peter, I wish to respond to so much affection with my prayers and my closeness. At the well of Saint Rose of Lima, generations of Peruvians have placed their petitions and hopes. Today, from here, I would also like to let my prayer fall into that blessed well. Through the intercession of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Saint Rose, and all the saints and blesseds of this land, I ask the Lord that the love of Christ may help you recognize in every Peruvian a brother or sister, and in each one, another reason to love your homeland. May God bless Peru and all its inhabitants. Thank you very much.

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