If you missed the Rosary for Peace in the Middle East, you can still watch it and join us in prayer here.
“I am returning to my homeland, too”: Pope Leo XIV arrives in Peru to flowers and a familiar welcome
The Chicago-born pontiff began the final leg of his South American journey in the country that shaped much of his ministry and granted him citizenship in 2015.
Ana Paula Morales (Poli)
11/12/20262 min read
Caption: Two children present flowers to Pope Leo XIV upon his arrival at the Callao Air Base in Peru on November 11, 2026. Photo: Vatican Media.
Two children waited beside the aircraft with flowers. Shortly after 5 p.m. on Wednesday, November 11, Pope Leo XIV landed at the Callao air base outside Lima. President Keiko Fujimori welcomed him as he stepped onto the tarmac. The American-born pope had come back to a country where he had spent more than two decades as a missionary and bishop—and where he became a citizen in 2015.
Peru was the final stop of a journey that had taken him through Uruguay and Argentina. For Robert Francis Prevost, born in Chicago, this leg carried a different weight. Long before his election to the papacy, he had lived among Peruvian communities and later served as bishop of Chiclayo. His return brought together the two countries to which he belongs.
That bond acquired an unexpected documentary marker just before his arrival. Peru’s Ministry of Culture declared his naturalization title and handwritten application part of the nation’s cultural heritage. The declaration concerns the documents themselves; it does not say they will be displayed in a museum.
From the airport, the welcome moved into Lima’s streets and the Government Palace. According to local authorities’ estimate reported by the Holy See, some three million people took part in the wider reception. It was an estimate for the welcome across the city, not the attendance at a single venue.
There were military honors, a salute to the flag and national anthems performed by a youth choir. After a private meeting with the president, Leo greeted government employees. “First, because I feel at home,” he said when explaining his joy at being back. He urged them to work together and meet disagreements with dialogue, understanding and patience.
At the Gran Teatro Nacional that evening, memories of meals shared and doors opened to him became the starting point for an appeal to those entrusted with public office. He recalled receiving Peruvian nationality in 2015 and said: “I am returning to my homeland, too.”
He described peace in terms any family could recognize: being able to leave for work without fear, care for one’s children and return home calmly. He asked officials to listen to people seeking help from institutions and to serve with honesty. He also called for accessible health care and opportunities for young people, and paid tribute to the women who keep Peru’s community kitchens running.
The evening closed with a marinera, a traditional Peruvian dance, titled “Que viva Chiclayo”—a nod to the city he once shepherded. Leo then went to the apostolic nunciature. His next day in Lima was set to bring meetings with bishops, clergy and young people; his first night had already made clear why this was more than another stop on the itinerary.
