How Peru Shaped Pope Leo XIV

Those who know Leo well say his time in Peru is key for understanding who he is today — and where he’s leading the Catholic Church.‘Pope Leo XIV come back home,’ reads a billboard over a busy street in Chiclayo, Peru, where Robert Prevost was the local bishop from 2015 to 2023. (Photo: Juan Gil)Jonathan LiedlNewsNovember 3, 2026When Pope Leo XIV visits Peru Nov. 11-17 as part of a larger journey to South America, it won’t be just an ordinary papal trip. It will be more like a homecoming. Though undisputably a son of the South Side of Chicago, Pope Leo will be returning to the country that has arguably had a greater impact on his pastoral style and approach to Church leadership than anywhere else in the world.

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