The interim president of Peru, José Maria Balcazar, announced Thursday June 18 that Pope Leo XIV, who has Peruvian nationality, will visit the country during the first half of November. This announcement, however, has not been confirmed by the Vatican.
José Maria Balcazar made this announcement from Rome to a Peruvian radio after being received at the Vatican by the head of the Catholic Church. “During the first half of November, he will be in Peru. He will arrive in Lima,” then will travel to other cities, including Chiclayo, where the pope served as bishop, the Peruvian president told RPP radio.
Pope Leo The hearing lasted 90 minutes, said José Maria Balcazar, whose mandate ends on July 28.
One of the most Catholic countries
The Vatican released a statement that did not mention the trip. It indicates that Leo XIV and José Maria Balcazar expressed their “satisfaction for the good relations between the Holy See and Peru”.
The two men also “addressed issues of common interest, including socio-economic developments, illegal mining, the promotion of the common good and dialogue, as well as the commitment to social cohesion,” said the Vatican press office.
The stay in Peru, where Robert Francis Prevost worked for more than twenty years as a missionary then bishop of Chiclayo, will be part of a tour of South America. Argentina and Uruguay would be the two other countries affected by this tour, according to their political and religious authorities.
Peru, with 34 million inhabitants, is one of the most Catholic countries in the region. More than 80% of its population declares themselves to be Catholic. The country was visited by Popes John Paul II (1985 and 1988) and Francis (2018).
