Pope Leo XIV issued a statement today condemning the discrimination against Afro-descendants in Peru, and also recalled the great suffering of slaves during his speech at the shrine of Saint Toribio de Mogrovejo in Zane, where he held the day's final event.
The Patriarch arrived from Chiclayo to Zane to conclude the anniversary year established for the 300th anniversary of the canonization of the Spanish saint Toribio de Mogrovejo, who was born in the Spanish town of Maiorca (Valladolid) in 1538 and arrived in Peru in 1581, becoming the Archbishop of Lima, where he became famous for defending indigenous peoples.
Leo XIV reached Zane after celebrating mass in Santa Cruz de Succabamba, in the Andes, during the day. During the journey, he was accompanied by a group of eight members of the Chiclayanos Amazon tribe, traveling on traditional Shaga horses.
Approximately 300,000 people took to the streets to see Leo XIV's procession. The Pope recalled that 'the memory of generations of African men and women who were torn from their homes and subjected to slavery is preserved' and that 'many endured great suffering and humiliation.'
The Pope was warmly welcomed on Thursday upon his return to Peru, a country that was part of his first trip to South America, which also included Uruguay and Argentina. On Friday, hundreds of thousands of people filled the streets of Chiclayo to welcome Leo XIV, the city where he served as bishop for eight years and which became his 'adopted home.'
