Pope Leo XIV begins landmark visit to Peru following emotional departure from Argentina

Fujimori personally welcomed the pontiff at the airport with full head-of-state honors. The Pope then traveled through Lima’s historic center in the popemobile as thousands of Peruvians lined the streets to greet him on his way to the presidential palace.

The visit to Peru marks the final leg of Leo XIV’s first Latin American tour, which also included high-profile visits to Uruguay and Argentina.

For the former Robert Prevost, the trip represents a homecoming to the country that shaped his ecclesiastical career. He arrived in Peru as an Augustinian missionary in 1985 and later served as Bishop of Chiclayo before his appointment to the Vatican in 2023.

Hours earlier, Leo XIV concluded his four-day visit to Argentina with a farewell ceremony at Ezeiza’s Ministro Pistarini International Airport.

Flanked by a ceremonial guard of grenadiers, the pontiff blessed tearful well-wishers and exchanged emotional greetings with Argentine President Javier Milei, who appeared visibly moved. Foreign Minister Pablo Quirno and Presidential Secretary Karina Milei were also present.

He then boarded a flight to Lima with the Vatican delegation and accompanying journalists.

Before departing Argentina, the Pope celebrated an outdoor Mass attended by millions of faithful in the plaza facing the Basilica of Our Lady of Lujan.

"Farewell, my dear Argentina! Thank you, Argentina, for welcoming me with open arms!" Leo XIV said to applause, reflecting on his personal connection to the region.

"Now you have two Popes: one who was born here and another by adoption," he said, referring to Pope Francis, who was born in Argentina but never visited the country during his papacy.

Peru accounts for half of Leo XIV’s itinerary on his South American tour, which spans four major regions.

In Lima, he met with Fujimori, while in Cusco he is scheduled to meet Indigenous communities and pastoral leaders in the southern Andes.

In Pucallpa, his agenda will focus on environmental protection and the preservation of the Amazon rainforest. He will also visit Chiclayo, the northern diocese where he served as bishop for eight years.