Pope Leo XIV visited today the church that he personally helped restore from scratch in Chiclayo. This city was where he resided as a bishop for eight years, and it was here that he sought donations to finance this construction, located in one of the poorest districts.
The new San Oscar Romero chapel is located in the La Victoria district, within Chiclayo itself, and was completed just days before the Pope's arrival. According to his pastor, Jose Alonso, to the Spanish news agency EFE, the Pope monitored the progress of the work from the Vatican.
The new chapel features a minimalist yet welcoming design and has many windows through which the modest homes of the El Bosque neighborhood, also in the La Victoria district, can be seen.
The Holy Father's visit to this church, dedicated to Saint Oscar Arnulfo Romero, a Peruvian saint known as the 'voice of the voiceless,' took place privately amidst the grand and numerous events that Leo XIV is holding as part of his return to Peru, his adopted country, which welcomed him very warmly.
Nevertheless, the residents of the El Bosque neighborhood, La Victoria district, gathered around the chapel to see the Prelate, now the Pope, who, as a bishop, toured every corner of this northern Peruvian diocese.
Despite various priests wanting to carry out the reconstruction, the condition of the church was so obviously poor that there was never enough budget until Edgar Rimaycuna, Leo XIV's personal secretary, intervened and realized any pastor's dream.
Rimaycuna and his family have always been members of the Catholic community of La Victoria. After several months in Rome as an advisor to the Prelate, who was already a cardinal and prefect of bishops, he spoke with him, and they saw an opportunity to help this parish.
Leo XIV is in Peru from November 11 to 16. This is the last stop of his first tour of Latin America, after visiting Uruguay and Argentina. This phase of the trip is the longest, including six days of travel between cities such as Lima, Cusco, Pucallpa, and Chiclayo, where he will also tour various points of the diocese where he served.
The Pope's visit to Peru marks his return to his adopted country, where he received Peruvian citizenship, having spent more than twenty years there during different periods—from 1985, when he arrived as a missionary, until 2023, when Pope Francis invited him to the Vatican after eight years of service as Bishop of Chiclayo.
The Peruvians welcomed the Pope warmly and massively; about 3 million people took to the streets to watch his procession through the capital, Lima, and at the first mass he celebrated in Peru, at least 500,000 people were present in Chiclayo.
Pope Leo XIV stated in Chiclayo today that it is a 'joy' for him to be home, emphasizing this emotional meeting that reflects his love for the Peruvian flock and the pride of this people that their shepherd now heads the Catholic Church.
The Pontiff, known here as 'Padre Roberto,' arrived at Chiclayo airport, on the Pacific coast, and immediately headed to a vast dusty field on the outskirts of the city for his first mass on Peruvian soil.
The Vatican estimated that about one million people lined the route of his procession to the mass, and 500,000 spectators attended the mass itself.
Everyone applauded enthusiastically when the Pope arrived and walked among the crowd in his papal transport under the scorching sun and a temperature of 31 degrees Celsius (88 degrees Fahrenheit).
