Pope Leo XIV landed at the military air base in Lima on November 11 to begin the third and final leg of his apostolic pilgrimage to Latin America, Vatican News reported.
An Argentine national airline Airbus A330-200 carrying the Holy Father departed from Buenos Aires international airport and touched down in Peru. President Keiko Sofía Fujimori Iguchi greeted the Bishop of Rome upon his arrival.
The Pope will stay in Peru until November 16, visiting Lima, Chiclayo, Cusco, and Pucallpa during the final stretch of the journey. This visit holds personal significance because he served in the country for many years as a church pastor and missionary.
In Lima, the pontiff will hold meetings with state leaders and bishops, alongside a prayer vigil with young people. He will travel to Chiclayo to privately visit the chapel of Saint Oscar Romero and crown the image of the Immaculate Virgin Mary at the local cathedral, according to Vatican News.
From Chiclayo, the Pope will fly by helicopter to Santa Cruz de Succhabamba to lead Holy Mass. He will then return to Chiclayo to participate in a prayer dedicated to the conclusion of the Jubilee Year of Saint Turibius of Mogrovejo, Vatican News reported.
Cusco sits at an altitude of 3,400 meters above sea level, where Leo XIV will meet pilgrims and members of the Popular Piety movement at the Saksaiuaman archaeological complex. He will conclude his regional engagements in Pucallpa with a gathering for missionaries and representatives of Amazonian peoples.
The Latin American journey follows a tense stop in Argentina, where the head of the Catholic Church sharply criticized President Javier Milei’s harsh austerity measures. Upon arriving in the country, the pontiff argued that the economy must serve people rather than people serving the economy, as reported by LSM.
Leo XIV defended the poor, pensioners, and people with disabilities against Milei’s controversial decisions to cut support programs. The visit is the first by a Catholic pope to Argentina in nearly 40 years, as former Pope Francis did not return to his homeland during his pontificate, LSM noted.
Pope Leo XIV will stay in Peru until November 16, completing his apostolic pilgrimage to Latin America.
President Keiko Sofía Fujimori Iguchi greeted the Bishop of Rome at the military air base in Lima.
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