‘The pope put us on the world’s radar’: Residents of Peruvian city talk about Pope Leo XIV’s impact on their diocese

Thousands of people attended an outdoor mass in the Peruvian city of Chiclayo to thank God for the election of Pope Leo XIV.

It was a solemn occasion, but was also interrupted with loud cheers and chants about the pope being a “Chiclayano.”

“We are really excited,” said Luis Chero, a local English teacher who was at the mass, waving a Vatican flag and rallying the crowds behind him.

With a broad smile, he recalled how the new pope gave a shoutout to the city in Spanish during his first speech from St. Peter’s Basilica at the Vatican.

“No pope in the world, in any age, has mentioned Chiclayo,” Chero said. “Now, we are very popular.”

Born Robert Prevost in the United States, the new pontiff is also a celebrated figure in Peru, where he lived for more than two decades. He served there, first as a missionary, then as an administrator of seminaries and then as the bishop of Chiclayo, a city of around 500,000 people.

Many in this city — where an estimated 80% of the population is Catholic — say that the pope was a key figure when Chiclayo faced crises like the COVID-19 pandemic and floods that left hundreds of people without homes.

“He left many good memories,” said Patricia Saveedra, a mother of three. She’s had a photo of her youngest daughter and the pope — known then as Bishop Prevost — framed at a local shop. “I think he has also taken a piece of Chiclayo with him to the Vatican.”

Prevost served as the bishop of Chiclayo from 2014 to 2023, during which time he developed a reputation for being a hardworking and restless prelate. The bishop discarded luxuries usually granted to those in his position — like having a personal driver — and got around in a pickup truck instead, ministering to remote villages hours away from the center of the diocese, that could only be reached along rugged, unpaved roads.

Veronica Vasquez, from the small town of Mochumi, said the bishop visited her parish several times to deliver mass and speak with local leaders.

“He liked to be with the people who needed him,” Vasquez added. “He was a humble person who would like to listen to what others said.”

The bishop also developed a reputation for being an agile administrator, as well as a champion of the poor. 

During the COVID-19 pandemic, hospitals in the north of Peru did not have enough oxygen for COVID-19 patients, forcing people to pay hundreds of dollars for oxygen tanks supplied at inflated prices by speculators.

Prevost tackled the problem by raising thousands of dollars from the local business community to purchase two oxygen plants that were then opened to the public — a move that helped save hundreds of lives.

Janinna Sesa worked with the pope on multiple projects as the local administrator of Caritas, a humanitarian group linked to the Catholic Church.

She said that when floods hit towns in the north of the country in 2018, Prevost would personally supervise the delivery of aid to victims and record interviews at disaster sites as he walked through flooded streets in rubber boots.

“He would relate to people’s pain,” she said, “and was also good at communicating problems so that others would be urged to take action.”

As a bishop, Prevost also created a department within the diocese of Chiclayo that has helped Venezuelan migrants find shelter and obtain residency permits. 

These actions have not been forgotten by people in the city.

“I hope that, as a pope, he will be a defender of social justice,” said Zoraida Cruzado, a religion teacher, who said she was hoping that Pope Leo XIV would continue with his predecessor Pope Francis’ emphasis of serving people on the margins of society.

Prevost will now lead a global institution with 1.4 billion followers, where debates are raging over issues including the role of women in the church and whether priests should bless same-sex marriages. 

One advantage that Prevost may have when it comes to dealing with these conflicts is his experience interacting with different cultures, said Edison Farfan, Chiclayo’s current bishop.

In a recent press conference, he pointed out that Prevost served for 12 years as the global head of the Augustinians, an order that is present in dozens of countries. 

“He is a well-prepared man, with a doctorate in canon law,” Farfan said. “And he has traveled all over the world, always trying to visit remote communities and gather different points of view.”

Time will tell how different factions in the church react to Pope Leo XIV and his teachings. 

But at least in Chiclayo, the man known as El Obispo Robert, or Bishop Robert, appears to be a unifying figure.

“The pope put us on the world’s radar,” said Martin Burga, a security guard who works in a shopping mall.

He’s hoping that Chiclayo will now benefit from its connection to this global leader.