The president of Peru, José María Balcázarreported this Thursday (18) that the Pope Leo XIV will visit the country in the first half of November. The Peruvian head of state gave a statement to the radio RPP after meeting with the pontiff in Vatican.
Second Balcázar, Leo XIV will spend eight to 10 days in Peru. He will arrive in the country through the capital, Lima. Then you will go to other Peruvian cities, such as Chiclayo, Cusco, Piura, Pucallpa and Sullana.
Balcázar said he introduced Leo XIV to possibility of facilitating a helicopter trip to Cañaris and Incahuasicities that are home to important Quechua-speaking communities (a language of the Inca Empire). The inclusion of Puno and Iquitos in the pontiff’s visit itinerary. However, the decision depends on logistical and security reports to be drawn up by the Vatican.
Link with Peru
Leo XIV lived and worked in the country for more than 20 years. In 2015, it obtained the Peruvian citizenship. In his first speech as pope, on the Vatican balcony, the pontiff switched briefly from Italian to Spanish and addressed his “beloved Diocese of Chiclayo.”
In 1985, he joined the Augustinian mission in Peruwhere he worked in Chulucanas for a year. In 1987, returned to the United States.
The pontiff was sent to mission in Trujillo in 1988. In 1999, returned to the United States. Afterwards, he spent time in Rome, Italy, until taking up a position in the Augustinian province of Chicago in 2013.
In 2014, Pope Francis appointed Leo XIV as apostolic administrator of the Diocese of Chiclayo. The following year, the current pontiff became bishop of the city.
He was appointed apostolic administrator of the Diocese of Callao in 2020. Leo XIV left Peru in 2023 to take office at the Vatican.
