Pope Leo XIV visits church that helped rebuild in Chiclayo

O pope Leo XIV visited today the church he himself helped rebuild from scratch in Chiclayo, a city where he was bishop for eight years, and for which he sought donors to pay for the work, located in one of the poorest neighborhoods.

Located in the district of La Victoria, within the very city of Chiclayo, the new chapel Saint Óscar Romero was ready a few days before the arrival of the pontiff, who since the Vatican has been attentive to the progress of the work, according to the Spanish news agency EFE, a few weeks ago, his parish priest, José Alonso.

The new chapel has a minimalist but welcoming design and is full of windows through which you can see the humble houses of the neighborhood of El Bosque, located in the district of La Victoria.

The Holy Father's visit to this church, dedicated to Óscar Arnulfo Romero, the Salvadoran saint known as “the voice of the voiceless”, took place privately within the apotheotic and multitudinous acts that are leading León XIV on his return to Peru, his adoptive country, which received him warmly.

However, the people of the neighborhood of El Bosque, of the district of La Victoria, concentrated around the chapel to see again, now as pope, Prevost, who as bishop traveled all corners of this diocese of northern Peru.

Different priests wanted to remodel it, but the bad state of the church was so notorious that there was never enough budget, until Edgard Rimaycuna, personal secretary of Leo XIV, interceded and fulfilled the dream of any parish priest.

Rimaycuna and his family have always been members of the Catholic community of La Victoria, and after a few months in Rome as an advisor to Prevost, who was already a cardinal and mayor of the bishops, spoke with him and both saw the opportunity to help this parish.

Leo XIV is from 11 to 16 November on a visit to Peru, the last stop of his first tour in Latin America, after visiting Uruguay and Argentina, and the longest phase of the trip, with a total of six days to travel to the cities of Lima, Cusco, Pucallpa and Chiclayo, where he will also travel several points of the diocese in which he served.

The Pope's visit to Peru marks his return to his adopted country, where he acquired Peruvian nationality, after spending more than twenty years of his life there in different periods, since 1985 when he arrived as a missionary until 2023, when Pope Francis summoned him to the Vatican after eight years as Bishop of Chiclayo.

The Peruvians gave the pope a warm and massive welcome, with about 3 million people on the streets to watch his journey through the capital Lima, and in Chiclayo there were at least 500,000 people at the first Mass he celebrated in Peru.

Pope Leo XIV said today in Chiclayo that it was a “joy” to be home, an emotional return that underlines his love for the Peruvian flock and his pride in the fact that his pastor now leads the Catholic Church.

The pontiff, known here as “Father Roberto”, arrived at Chiclayo airport on the Pacific coast, and immediately headed for a vast dusty camp on the outskirts of the city for his first Mass on Peruvian soil.

The Vatican estimated that 1 million people lined up along the way from their procession to Mass and that 500,000 attended it.

All applauded effusively when the pope arrived and walked the crowd in his papamobile, under a scorching sun and temperatures of 31 degrees Celsius (88 degrees Fahrenheit).

“What a joy it is to return to Chiclayo!” said Leo XIV. “It is a blessing for me to be with you again,” he said, thanking the faithful especially for their prayers during their recent hospitalization for lung cancer.

The pontiff stressed: “With God’s help, I am overcoming” the health scare.

Chiclayo, with a population of 700,000, is the commercial center of the northern Pacific coast of Peru.

But the world heard a lot about the city on the night of the election of Leo XIV on May 8, 2025, when he said hello to Chiclayo in Spanish from the Basilica of St. Peter in the Vatican.