The Pope Leo XIV Peru visit began on Wednesday when the pontiff arrived in Lima to large crowds, according to France 24 and Euronews. The arrival marks the last leg of a three-nation Latin American tour and a return to the country where Leo spent more than two decades as a missionary.
The pope, 71, had undergone surgery for lung cancer just weeks before the trip, according to France 24. Euronews reported that he was greeted at the airport by President Keiko Fujimori and blessed children with disabilities and babies on the tarmac.
Vatican estimates put the number of people who lined his route into the city at around three million. That figure has not been independently verified.
At the Government Palace, Leo paid tribute to the Peruvian flag and joined Fujimori and a children’s choir in singing the national anthem, Euronews said.
Leo, born in Chicago and formerly Robert Prevost, became bishop of Chiclayo before his election as pope. Euronews reported that he acquired Peruvian citizenship in 2015 and told officials he was "returning to my homeland." Many Peruvians know him as "Padre Roberto."
France 24 describes the visit as a nostalgic return to the nation where Leo served before being chosen to lead the world’s 1.4 billion Catholics. Euronews says the Lima visit is the final leg of a 12-day South American tour that also included stops in Uruguay and Argentina.
Leo is expected to visit the Amazon region, the Andean city of Cusco and Chiclayo during his stay in Peru, Euronews reports. No schedule or dates for these stops have been given.
Most of the key facts in this story rest on France 24 and Euronews. Africanews published only a headline and a short excerpt, and its account of a rapturous welcome and a specific date was not confirmed by the other two outlets, so it is not included here. The sources also contain no response from the Peruvian government or the Vatican beyond the reported events.
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This article was written with AI assistance from the published reporting listed above. It is part of the World Brief daily news podcast.