Pope Leo XIV arrived in Peru on Wednesday to an estimated three million people in Lima, marking the largest gathering of his papacy as he concluded a three-nation tour of Latin America.
Crowds gathered in the capital's main plaza waving flags, wearing commemorative shirts and holding signs reading "Welcome home" as the 71-year-old pontiff touched down. The turnout surpassed the estimated 2.5 million people who attended an outdoor Mass earlier in the week in Buenos Aires, following an earlier stop in Uruguay.
The visit marks a personal return for the Chicago-born pope, who spent two decades in Peru as a missionary priest and bishop, obtaining citizenship before his election to lead the Roman Catholic Church. He is scheduled to spend three days in the northern city of Chiclayo, where he served as bishop between 2015 and 2023.
Speaking at Lima's Gran Teatro Nacional, the pontiff highlighted his deep ties to the country. “Today, I understand how much of this land remains with me and how much of my own story also belongs to you,” he said. “I can tell you, with deep gratitude, that I am returning to my homeland.”
The pope also met with President Keiko Fujimori, urging her to foster public trust following her narrow election victory earlier this year and to confront the lingering wounds of Peru's past. Her father, Alberto Fujimori, led the country through the 1990s and a conflict against Maoist Shining Path rebels.
Addressing the nation's history, the pope told the president that “past events deserve to be treated with justice and sensitivity, leaving room for harmony to grow and for differences to be addressed with respect.” In response, Fujimori described the visit as an invitation for the country to pursue the “unfinished task” of national reconciliation.
When Alberto Fujimori received a pardon in 2017, the pontiff—then known as Bishop Robert Prevost—had argued that the former leader should directly seek forgiveness from victims to enable true reconciliation.
The pontiff undertook the regional tour less than a month after undergoing surgery for lung cancer. Ahead of his arrival, authorities unveiled a 14-metre statue of the pope overlooking a seaside park in Callao.
