Pope Leo XIV returns to Peru and urges trust, reconciliation

Pope Leo XIV returned to Peru on November 11, beginning the final leg of his South American tour with a welcome in Lima and an appeal to public officials to strengthen trust and address painful chapters of the country’s past. The Vatican estimated that about three million people lined the motorcade route, a figure attributed to the Holy See rather than an independent count.

President Keiko Fujimori received Leo after his plane landed at an air base in Callao, beside Lima. Two children presented him with flowers, and a children’s choir sang during the official welcome. He later met privately with Fujimori at the Government Palace before addressing Peruvian authorities and diplomats at Lima’s Grand National Theater.

Leo said Peru was his homeland and recalled the relationships he had built there over decades. He urged officials to cultivate honesty, integrity and dialogue, saying those qualities support trust among people and strength in institutions. He also said families should be able to work, care for their children and return home without fear.

The pope called for painful parts of Peru’s history to be addressed with justice and sensitivity, and for differences to be handled...