Pope Leo XIV arrived in Peru on the afternoon of this Wednesday, November 11, the final stage of his apostolic journey through South America, and assured the country’s authorities that he returns “also to my homeland.” The papal plane landed around 17:00 at the Callao Air Base, coming from Argentina, where he was received by President Keiko Fujimori, along with the diplomatic corps. Children and young people with disabilities approached to embrace him as soon as he set foot on Peruvian soil.
From the air base, the Pope traveled in the popemobile to the Government Palace, in a journey of several kilometers during which thousands of Peruvians gathered, some of whom had been waiting for hours. At the palace, he listened to a welcome hymn performed by children. Official figures speak of about three million people along the streets of Lima.
“I return as the Successor of Peter” and “also to my homeland”
In his address to the authorities, civil society, and the diplomatic corps, delivered at the Gran Teatro Nacional, the Pope explained the double meaning of his return. “I return as the Successor of Peter, called to serve the universal Church,” he said, adding later: “That is why I can tell you, with deep gratitude, that I also return to my homeland.” Pope Leo XIV also affirmed that he now understands “how much of this land remains in me and how much of my own history also belongs to you.”
The Pontiff, who lived in Peru for more than twenty years as a missionary and later as bishop of Chiclayo, and who obtained Peruvian nationality in 2015, assured that, if he could relive those years, he would do so “with joy,” embracing both the happy moments and the difficulties. He added that “distance does not necessarily diminish love for one’s homeland.”
A message to the rulers: honesty and dignity for all
Addressing public officials, the Pope encouraged them to cultivate “honesty, integrity, and openness to encounter,” and recalled that public decisions also affect those who live far from the places where they are made. “To love a people means to desire that all may live in it with dignity,” he noted. He also spoke of goods that no economic prosperity can replace, such as peace of conscience, called for all women to live free from violence and any form of exploitation, and offered words of affection for young people.
“Here I am at home”
The day concluded at the Apostolic Nunciature in Lima, where the Pope will spend the night. From the balcony, he greeted the faithful gathered there and expressed his emotion with more personal words: “I have no words to thank you for this warm welcome upon returning today to my home.” He then prayed the Our Father with those present and imparted the blessing.
The visit to Peru, which will continue until Monday the 16th, also includes Chiclayo, Cusco, and Pucallpa. With this, it concludes a journey that already took the Pope to Uruguay and Argentina, and whose conclusion in the latter country InfoVaticana reported this same Wednesday.