Pope Leo XIV Returns to Chiclayo for 6-Day Homecoming as 600,000 Visitors Are Expected
Updated
Updated · The Washington Post · Nov 13
Pope Leo XIV Returns to Chiclayo for 6-Day Homecoming as 600,000 Visitors Are Expected
3 articles · Updated · The Washington Post · Nov 13
Summary
Pope Leo XIV arrived back in Chiclayo on Friday for the emotional centerpiece of his three-country South America tour, returning to the Peruvian diocese he once led as bishop.
Six days of events are centered on a sprawling Sunday Mass, with residents already camping out and local officials expecting about 600,000 visitors for the pope’s homecoming.
Chiclayo’s bond with Leo runs beyond ceremony: locals still recall Robert Prevost delivering food during COVID-19, guiding the diocese through floods and a tuberculosis outbreak, and greeting his “beloved diocese” in Spanish after his election.
That connection has brought visible economic and civic changes, with tourism up 30% since his rise, roads repaved, a pope museum and sightseeing route opened, and nearby Zaña rushing upgrades before his visit.
The trip is also a rare papal return to a former home diocese, underscoring how the first U.S.-born pope has tied his identity not just to Chicago or Rome but to northern Peru.