The Pope in Cusco, the Angelus at 3,000 meters after the operation

Faith does not divide but "unites," especially in this time of "divisions and wounds." Nine days after departing from Rome and a little over a month after the nearly sudden operation to remove a tumor from his right lung, Pope Leo brings his mission home. Launching from the heart of the Andes and, on the same day, from the remote Amazon rainforest, his universal message of peace, fraternity, and above all unity. "Faith does not separate, but unites us to others. This is important, especially in a time like ours, marked by divisions, wounds, distrust, and situations that make it difficult for men and women to recognize one another as members of the same family." He begins early in the morning at the meeting with the faithful and representatives of popular piety in the evocative Saqsaywaman National Archaeological Park, which also houses the fortress of the same name. A historic Inca archaeological site, the first stop of the most demanding day for the Pontiff — the one with three flights in a single day, and above all first the transfer to 3,399 meters of altitude, right in Cusco, in southeastern Peru, near the Urubamba Valley and at the top of the Andes chain, then back down again, to sea level, in Pucallpa, in the Amazon. Video Peru, Pope Leo flies by helicopter next to the pilots As had already been the case in Chiclayo, Cusco too, from the first light of dawn, is blanketed with people. Thousands of faithful crowd every centimeter of both sides of the road that Leo travels partly in the Popemobile to embrace as many faithful as possible, and in particular, in these lands that were the cradle of Inca civilization, the descendants of the indigenous populations. Ponchos on their shoulders, Andean headdresses, under a sun alternating with rain, all the richness of the colors of Andean culture in a territory also marked by exploitation and inequalities — which the Pope referred to several times during the day — shine in unison at each of Leo's passages. Prevost almost surrenders himself to his land of mission, the very one that later projected him toward the papacy, and appears serene throughout. At times he shows hints of emotion, in a few brief passages his voice was more hoarse, but overall his satisfaction is evident. "I think of you, brothers and sisters, who suffer in body and soul because of illness," he says at the Angelus. "In the eyes of a world conditioned by the culture of waste and material productivity, illness is seen as a misfortune that diminishes a person's worth. What a great lie!" — "lived instead with faith, it is a path for growing in love and for sharing it." "You are in the beating heart of the Church," Leo adds. "Your suffering, offered with love for the salvation of souls, for vocations, and for peace, becomes spiritual strength; your weakness is transformed into divine strength that multiplies the talents of love and redemption." Upon landing in Pucallpa, the scene repeats itself: crowds of people from every direction, almost from the airport runway itself and then along the edges of the roads, a human tide amid dust, torrid heat, and deadly humidity, in which everyone wants to chant "Leon, querido, el Perú está contigo!" The Pope: 'A material world discards the misfortune of illness' "I think of you, brothers and sisters, who suffer in body and soul because of illness. In the eyes of a world conditioned by the culture of waste and material productivity, illness is seen as a misfortune that diminishes a person's worth. What a great lie!" — "lived instead with faith, it is a path for growing in love and for sharing it." The Pope said this at the Angelus recited in Cusco. "You are in the beating heart of the Church," adds Leo, recently operated on for a tumor removed in its very earliest stages, "your suffering, offered with love for the salvation of souls, for vocations, and for peace, becomes spiritual strength; your weakness is transformed into divine strength that multiplies the talents of love and redemption." The Pope: 'For African slaves in Peru, sufferings and humiliations' "Zaña also preserves the memory of generations of African men and women, far from their homes and subjected to slavery. Many suffered great sufferings and humiliations." Pope Leo recalled this at the meeting with the Catholic community on the occasion of the closing of the Jubilee Year of Santo Toribio de Mogrovejo, the final event of his day today in Peru between Chiclayo and Santa Cruz. At the esplanade of the Sanctuary of Santo Toribio de Mogrovejo in Zaña, Leo was welcomed with a true ovation, with songs, banners, hundreds of little flags in the colors of Peru and the Vatican, and almost stadium-like choruses that gave the Pontiff, a former missionary in Peru, a "welcome home." "Dear brothers and sisters, who descend from them," he said, addressing the crowd, "today I want to express my affection and my closeness to you. I have had the joy of knowing your faith, your traditions, and the love with which you preserve the memory of your ancestors. Thank you for everything you bring to the life of this Church. May the example of Saint Martín de Porres, whom Saint Toribio himself confirmed, remind you how much God loves you and encourage you to persevere on the path of holiness." African slaves in Peru were introduced beginning with the period of the Spanish conquest in the sixteenth century, to provide labor in plantations, mines, and domestic service, following the drastic decrease of the indigenous population. Over 300,000 people poured into the streets to greet Pope Leo along his route from Chiclayo to Zaña, where 10,000 faithful are taking part in the prayer meeting with the Pontiff at the sanctuary of Saint Toribio. This was reported by local authorities. Video The Pope: 'For African slaves in Peru, sufferings and humiliations' All rights reserved © Copyright ANSA