PHOTOS: Pope Leo XIV returns to Peru where he once served as bishop
Pope Leo XIV began his first full day in Peru on Nov. 12, 2026, meeting with Church leaders and Peruvian citizens. The visit marked an emotional return to the country where he served for many years, beginning in 1985 and later becoming bishop of Chiclayo. Photos show the Pope greeting crowds in Lima and meeting with Peruvian bishops; Peru is the final stop on his South American trip before he returns to Rome.
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Pope Leo XIV returned to Peru, where he had lived and served in the Church for decades, for the final stage of his South American trip. On his first full day in the country, Nov. 12, 2026, he met bishops and citizens, prayed at Lima’s cathedral, and joined a youth vigil at the National Stadium.
Leo first served in Peru in 1985 as Father Robert Prevost and later held several roles there, including bishop of Chiclayo, to which he was appointed in 2015. The article describes Peru as his adopted country and the visit as an emotional return.
His trip to Peru followed visits to Uruguay and Argentina. He was due to spend several days in Peru before returning to Rome.
On Nov. 12, Leo met with Peruvian bishops at the archbishop’s palace, then took part in midday prayer at Lima’s Cathedral Basilica of St. John the Apostle and Evangelist.
He also attended a public meeting with leaders and citizens focused on the challenges and hopes of the Peruvian people, where he greeted attendees. That evening, he arrived at the National Stadium for a prayer vigil with young people; photographs show him waving to the crowd and becoming emotional.
The article also includes a photograph of Peruvian dancers performing for the pope during a meeting with civil leaders on Nov. 11.
Pastoral leadership grows through service to local communities
In Catholic understanding, pastoral leadership is strengthened when it is exercised as service within the concrete life of local communities—not as status or control. Bishops and priests lead in a distinctive way, while lay people, religious, and ordained ministers contribute their gifts to the Church’s common mission. The aim is communion and the spiritual good of the people, not the leader’s prominence.
John Paul II gives a concise statement of this principle:
“The title of Bishop is one of service, not of honour, and therefore a Bishop should strive to benefit others rather than to lord it over them.”
That service becomes practical through attentive listening, collaboration, and shared responsibility. John Paul II describes pastoral councils and teams as ways of connecting the local community, parish, and diocese, while ensuring that leaders hear concerns arising “from the grassroots.” He also stresses that lay people cooperate in the Church’s work without replacing the priestly ministry.
Local communities also help form pastoral leaders. Pastores Dabo Vobis says that experience in parish life can introduce future priests to the real needs of ministry—including care for the sick, immigrants, refugees, and people facing poverty or injustice. Such experience should form not just practical skills but a shepherd’s judgment and habits of service.
So the claim is sound if “grows through service” means that leadership is tested and deepened by serving people, learning their circumstances, and helping the community use its varied gifts. It does not mean that leadership is simply popularity or that all Church responsibilities become interchangeable. Catholic pastoral leadership remains rooted in Christ and ordered to the unity and mission of the Church; its authority is credible when it builds up those entrusted to its care.