Habemus: Peru, at the heart of Leo XIV's life

Lebanon is preparing for its first papal visit since Benedict XVI’s trip in 2012. But behind the figure of the Supreme Pontiff arriving this Sunday for an official visit lies another story: nearly four decades spent in Peru by Archbishop Robert Francis Prevost — now Pope Leo XIV — where he forged his pastoral mission. 

A small statue of Martin de Porres stands to the right of the altar in the Vianney parish on the outskirts of the Peruvian city of Chiclayo. The image of this 16th-century saint, born to an enslaved mother, resonates deeply with Lisbeth, a teacher and Venezuelan refugee. It was in this very church that she saw Archbishop Robert Prevost — today Pope Leo XIV — celebrate International Migrants Day, embodying the Church’s social doctrine through action. 

Lisbeth mentions other figures venerated in her country, such as Our Lady of Coromoto, patron saint of the Bolivarian Republic. She recalls seeing her icon leading a procession commemorating the Venezuelans’ exodus amid the political and economic collapse that has gripped Venezuela since 2017, compounded by U.S. sanctions. From Chiclayo, a metropolitan area of 600,000 inhabitants, Lisbeth is now a member of the Human Mobility and Anti-Trafficking Unit, a branch of Caritas Chiclayo — the Catholic Church’s humanitarian arm. Its founding owes much to the man who is now the leader of the global Church. 

“This was made possible thanks to the work of Mgr Robert Prevost,” Lisbeth says, remembering a man who was accessible and attentive to the needs of migrants in Chiclayo and beyond. She recalls “his deep concern about the massive Venezuelan migration here in Chiclayo.” The Venezuelan crisis was not only a baptism by fire for Archbishop Prevost; other crises with profound social impacts would confirm that he remained on the front lines, displaying essential qualities: closeness, accessibility, and an ability to listen. “I have an image in mind — you can find it on social media,” recalls Antonieta Pacheco Jara, coordinator for integral ecology at Caritas. “It was during Cyclone Yaku. He went out to the villages in boots. He approached people and he listened. That was essential for any work in inclusion, evangelization, synodality: he listened. He wasn’t just a religious authority giving orders from a comfortable seat. No — he was on the ground, listening.” ⸻

A Church as the People of God 

When Robert Francis Prevost was appointed bishop of Chiclayo, in northern Peru, in 2015, he had already known the country for three decades. Since 1985, he had risen from missionary to prior of the Augustinian Order — one of the religious orders that played a significant role in the “spiritual conquest” of the Americas during the colonial period. 

As bishop, Mgr Prevost was a man of action, say his collaborators, fully aligned with Pope Francis’s vision of a Church that is the “people of God.” Opposed to clericalism and committed to synodality, he entrusted laypeople — alongside religious men and women — with the most demanding tasks. He was highly active in pastoral initiatives rooted in the Church’s social doctrine, not just in sermons and speeches.

As Augusto Reque of Caritas Chiclayo recalls, he was a “pastor who smelled of his sheep,” referencing a phrase Mgr Prevost once cited in a homily. Augusto, head of the Human Mobility Unit, remembers — with colleague Yolanda Díaz — one of their first encounters with the bishop. The moment revealed the convictions of the future pope, who chose a papal name tied to one of the pioneers of contemporary Vatican social teaching. That first meeting took place during a Mass celebrated by Archbishop Prevost, at their invitation, commemorating the assassination of Archbishop Óscar Romero — the Salvadoran prelate canonized by Pope Francis, murdered in 1980 by soldiers for opposing the violence of state repression during El Salvador’s civil war. 

A Man of Action 

Another episode — mentioned repeatedly during interviews in Chiclayo — illustrates Archbishop Prevost’s active social engagement : his role in addressing the scandal surrounding Sodalitium Christianae Vitae, an ultraconservative organization accused of sexual, physical, and psychological abuse against dozens of victims between 1971 and the 2000s. 

The book Mitad monjes, mitad soldados compiled testimonies from former members, reviving attention to complaints ignored for years. Following the publication of the investigation, Archbishop Prevost sided with the victims, implementing prevention measures in his diocese and supporting the forced resignation of Cardinal Cipriani after intervention by Pope Francis. 

Promoted in 2023 to Rome as prefect of the Dicastery for Bishops and president of the Pontifical Commission for Latin America, Prevost played a central role in the inquiry into Sodalitium. The Vatican report confirmed 98 victims, including 37 cases of sexual abuse, and exposed the complicity of certain clergy. Archbishop Prevost recommended dissolving the organization and removing its leaders, leading to the expulsion of compromised clerics and the definitive closure of all entities founded by Luis Fernando Figari. 

The case illustrates Prevost’s full alignment with Pope Francis and the Church’s social teaching. By acting transparently, protecting victims, and challenging corrupt power structures within the Church, he applied principles of justice, accountability, and defense of the vulnerable — core to the Argentine pontiff. These episodes represent only a fraction of Robert Prevost’s life in Peru — from his years as bishop to his broader four-decade ecclesial journey in the Andean nation. Many elements point to Peru as the laboratory where his mission took shape, strengthening his commitment to social doctrine. But it is now to Pope Leo XIV — no longer Robert Francis Prevost — that one must turn when seeking to understand Catholic social teaching through the lens of the Peruvian experience.