Pope Leo Calls Peru His 'Homeland' as 3 Million Line Lima Route

Pope Leo XIV declared Peru his "homeland" on Wednesday as he arrived in Lima to begin the final leg of his South America tour, a homecoming for the man Peruvians still call "Padre Robert."

The Vatican estimated that about 3 million people lined the miles-long motorcade route into the capital, waving Peruvian and Holy See flags. Some in the crowds broke through tight security to run behind the pope's car. Leo appeared deeply moved as he left his charter plane, smiling at nearly every turn.

At the presidential palace, he met privately with Peruvian President Keiko Fujimori. During the welcome ceremony in the courtyard, he joined a children's choir in singing the Peruvian national anthem. In his first remarks, the Chicago-born pope said the Peruvian citizenship he took in 2015 sealed a bond that began long before, and he credited Peruvians with forming him as a pastor. "Today I understand how much of this land remains with me and how much of my own story also belongs to you," he said. "That is why I can tell you, with deep gratitude, that I am also returning to my homeland."

Leo, formerly Cardinal Robert Prevost, spent more than two decades in Peru as a missionary priest and later as bishop of Chiclayo. He has said Peru is where he learned "what it means to be a shepherd." As a dual citizen of the United States and Peru, he is the first pope from either country.

The excitement was visible across Lima. A 46-foot statue of the pontiff was unveiled in the port of El Callao, and baristas served cappuccinos decorated with his image. "We love him so much because he's worked here, he knows our sufferings, he knows it all," said Evelina Cruz, 85, who held a pope plush doll made by her niece. Zuly Castillo, who was Leo's secretary when he led the Chiclayo diocese, said her heart was so excited it made her want to cry with joy.

Gustavo Morello, a sociologist at Boston College, called the trip a "return to his origins, without any doubt." "Peru is the crown of the trip, the homecoming of the first Peruvian pope, no matter where he was born," he said.

The schedule is full. Leo is due to speak Thursday from the square in front of Lima's cathedral on the challenges and hopes for the future of the Peruvian people, a speech that will be closely watched. On Friday he travels to Chiclayo, where murals, T-shirts and bobblehead dolls already carry his face. He will say Mass at the sanctuary of St. Turibius of Mogrovejo in Zaña, a center of Afro-Peruvian culture where he often prayed. He will also travel to Pucallpa in the Amazon to honor Indigenous peoples, who face the effects of illegal gold mining and coca cultivation. The trip began Nov. 8, weeks after the pope had lung cancer surgery.