Peru thinks of a Pope-tour: tour of missionary Prevost's places
Among the stops Chiclayo of which the current pontiff was bishop
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A wave of jubilation swept through Peru when on the evening of 8 May the name of Robert Prevost as the new Pope was announced from the balcony in St. Peter's Square. Leo XIV has very strong ties to the South American country where he spent most of his career as a missionary and as bishop of Chiclayo. He was sent to the Augustinian mission in Peru in 1985. In his first greeting, immediately after speaking about Bergoglio's legacy, the Augustinian pontiff had not forgotten to mention the town in northern Peru, which has a special place in his heart. "A greeting to everyone, especially to the diocese of Chiclayo," he said in Spanish.
The Choice of a Personal Secretary
.It was therefore no surprise when Prevost chose 36-year-old Peruvian Edgard Iván Rimaycuna Inga, who is originally from Chiclayo, for his personal secretary.
"Expect to hear from me soon in Peru"
.The pontiff did not forget the country where he spent many years. "Expect news about me in Peru soon": with these words, Leo XIV took leave of a Peruvian journalist who gave him a scarf made of alpaca wool from the Peruvian Andes and women from low-income communities. Bergoglio's successor has dual citizenship: "He became a Peruvian citizen in 2015, a demonstration of his deep love for Peru, a country where he dedicated much of his religious life to the service of the humblest," said Peruvian President Dina Boluarte.
The Pope's tour in Peru
.To promote religious tourism in Peru, the local authorities are thus planning to propose the 'Pope Tour', a religious-touristic itinerary through the places where Leo XIV lived as a missionary. Among the sites included in the tour is obviously Chiclayo. But the route also includes stops in small neighbouring towns, such as Monsefú and Motupe.
Among the obligatory stops is also Eten, where devotion to the Divine Child of the Miracle, which the current Pope passed on to his predecessor, Francis, in 2019, when he presented the Vatican with 20,000 signatures of faith to have it declared a Eucharistic city. Between stops, visitors will also have the opportunity to taste the Pope's favourite dishes, such as rice with duck, goat with beans and ceviche.
