OMM Newsroom
Pope Leo XIV visited the remote town of Santa Cruz de Succhabamba in Peru’s western Andes on Nov. 14, during the Peruvian leg of his South American tour. The stop was one of personal significance during his 12-day trip, AnewZ reported.
The town, about 100 kilometers east of the Pacific coast, has fewer than 6,000 residents. Leo XIV regularly visited it while serving as bishop of Chiclayo from 2015 to 2023.
On previous visits, the pontiff traveled along winding mountain roads; this time, he arrived by helicopter. Residents greeted him enthusiastically, and a local musical group performed a song with the words, “Welcome home, Pope Leo.”
Buildings in the center of the town, known for its colonial-era architecture, are decorated with murals depicting Leo XIV’s years as a bishop in Peru.
Thousands gather to see “Father Robert”
Born in Chicago, Leo XIV worked as a missionary in Peru for about 20 years and holds both U.S. and Peruvian citizenship. He is the first pope to hold Peruvian citizenship.
Speaking at a local church shortly after arriving, Leo XIV said he was happy to return to the community. “It is like a very great dream that the Lord has allowed this servant to come here,” he said, describing the visit as a moment of “great joy.”
The Cajamarca department, where the town is located, is one of Peru’s poorest regions. According to the country’s statistics agency, up to 40% of residents there live in poverty.
Despite the town’s remote location, thousands traveled there hoping to see the pontiff. The Vatican estimated that about 20,000 people attended a ceremony Leo XIV held in an area near the local church.
Among those attending were former members of the church and clergy who knew him as Bishop Robert Prevost before his election as pope. Local priest Kevin Noriega, ordained by Leo XIV in 2018, recalled that the future pontiff often drove to the town in a pickup truck to serve the rural community and stayed for several days.
“There is great hope and excitement today,” Noriega said. He added that residents wanted to see the man they once called “Father Robert,” who now leads the Catholic Church.
In his homily, Leo XIV thanked those who had traveled to attend the ceremony and urged them to keep their hope despite difficulties. “Brothers and sisters, the Lord knows the roads you travel, your difficulties, your concerns and the trials you face,” he told the gathering.
Peru visit is the final leg of the tour
The visit to Santa Cruz de Succhabamba was part of the final and most personal leg of Leo XIV’s South American tour, which covered three countries. About 12 million people are reported to have taken part in events during the tour.
The pontiff was scheduled to return to Chiclayo on Saturday afternoon and travel on Sunday to Cusco, the former Inca capital, and Pucallpa, considered a gateway to the Amazon rainforest.
Leo XIV’s visit to Peru has included mass events as well as meetings with communities where he spent years working as a missionary and bishop before becoming head of the Catholic Church.
