Pope Leo XIV celebrates open-air Mass at Pampas de Pimentel in Chiclayo

Pope Leo XIV continued his tour in Peru on Friday after arriving from Lima at about 9 a.m. at the Base Aérea Teniente Coronel Pedro Ruiz Gallo in the northern city of Chiclayo, where he was known as “Padre Roberto.”WATCH LIVEThe pontiff’s LATAM Airlines Peru Airbus A320neo had a “#LeoXIVReturnsHome” sign. It was at the coastal city of Chiclayo where Leo, who was born in Chicago, served as Bishop Robert Prevost from 2015 to 2023. Leo, 71, who has dual U.S.-Peruvian citizenship, stood in his popemobile to greet the large crowds as he headed to celebrate an open-air morning Mass at the Pampas de Pimentel, a park in a coastal desert. Leo plans to stay in Peru until Nov. 17. He arrived at Callao on Wednesday afternoon. On Thursday in Lima, the pope celebrated Mass at the Cathedral Basilica of St. John the Apostle and hosted a prayer vigil at the National Stadium. “Today, I understand how much of this land remains with me and how much of my own story also belongs to you,” Leo said on Thursda