Pope Leo XIV began the afternoon of this Wednesday the last stage of his tour of South America in Lima, Peru, where he arrived from Buenos Aires, where he celebrated a homily in Luján—on the outskirts of Buenos Aires—before three million people, according to local authorities.
After his arrival at Callao Air Base at 5:00 PM (7:00 PM in Chile), and an almost half-hour wait for him to get off the plane, the high pontiff, who has held Peruvian nationality since 2015, was received by President Keiko Fujimori.
He was accompanied by Chancellor Carlos Espá, other authorities—including the president of the Peruvian Senate, Miguel Ángel Torres Morales—and a group of children, whom the pontiff greeted and blessed one by one, while the choir of Sinfonía por el Perú, the organization founded by tenor Juan Diego Flórez, sang.
He then boarded an armored vehicle to travel to the María Auxiliadora Basilica, from where Leo XIV continued his tour now aboard the papal mobile through the avenues of the Peruvian capital, where thousands of people lined the streets to see him pass, until reaching the Plaza de Armas of Lima.
Subsequently, the Bishop of Rome went to the Government Palace escorted by chalanes, the traditional Peruvian riders, mounted on step horses. Here he will hold a private meeting with Fujimori to then head to the Gran Teatro Nacional, where he will have a meeting with author...
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Pope Leo XIV began the afternoon of this Wednesday the last stage of his tour of South America in Lima, Peru, where he arrived coming from Buenos Aires, where he celebrated a homily today in Luján—on the outskirts of Buenos Aires—before three million people, according to local authorities. After his arrival at Callao Air Base at 5:00 PM (7:00 PM in Chile), and a wait of almost half an hour for him to disembark from the plane, the high pontiff, who has held Peruvian nationality since 2015, was received by President Keiko Fujimori. She was accompanied by Foreign Minister Carlos Espá, other authorities—including the president of the Peruvian Senate, Miguel Ángel Torres Morales—and a group of children, whom the pontiff greeted and blessed one by one, while the choir of Sinfonía por el Perú, the organization founded by tenor Juan Diego Flórez, sang. Pope Leo XIV is received at Callao Air Base. Photo: @VaticanNews on X. He then boarded an armored vehicle to travel to the María Auxiliadora Basilica, from where Leo XIV continued his tour now aboard the papal mobile through the avenues of the Peruvian capital, where thousands of people gathered to see him pass, until reaching the Plaza de Armas of Lima. Subsequently, the Bishop of Rome went to the Government Palace escorted by chalanes, the traditional Peruvian riders, mounted on step horses. Here he will hold a private meeting with Fujimori before heading to the Gran Teatro Nacional, where he will meet with authorities, civil society, and the diplomatic corps, where he will give his first speech on Peruvian soil. For tomorrow, Thursday, the pope has different activities planned in Lima, including meetings with representatives of the Catholic Church and activities with the population; meanwhile, on Friday, he will travel to Chiclayo, the city of which Robert Francis Prevost, his real name, was bishop between 2015 and 2023. Here, His Holiness will lead a mass on the Pampas de Pimentel esplanade, where he will give a homily. During the afternoon, he will have meetings with members of the Church and representatives of the academic community, closing the day with a dinner with the priests of the Diocese of Chiclayo. Between Saturday and Sunday, the pope will visit Cajamarca, Cusco, and Pucallpa; for Monday, the last day of his apostolic visit, he will travel between Lima and Callao, from whose Naval Air Base ceremony he will depart for Rome, after presiding over a grand farewell mass at Las Palmas Air Base.