Chiclayo prays for recovery and return of the 'Peruvian pope' / Photo: Ernesto BENAVIDES - AFP
Chiclayo prays for recovery and return of the 'Peruvian pope'
In northern Peru, the self-anointed "city of Pope Leo XIV" is feverishly preparing for a visit by its former bishop, despite the pontiff's lung cancer diagnosis raising doubts over his travel plans.
The Vatican has yet to confirm whether Leo's tour of Uruguay, Argentina and Peru, a country where he spent nearly two decades and of which he is a citizen, will go ahead next month as planned.
In the coastal city of Chiclayo, of which he was bishop for eight years, Leo is everywhere, his features stamped on a growing array of merchandise ahead of a planned visit on November 13.
His visit is expected to draw 1.5 million faithful, including some from as far away as Central America, more than doubling Chiclayo's population of 600,000 souls.
But the planning now is interspersed with prayers for a speedy post-surgery recovery that would allow him to make good on his plans.
"It (his cancer diagnosis) saddens all Peruvians and Chiclayans because we were already expecting the Pope," Brisa Ayacila, a 22-year-old office worker, told AFP as she left Chiclayo cathedral, where she and her family prayed for his recovery.
Peru rejoiced last year when a man it claims as its own was made leader of the world's 1.4 billion Catholics.
Pope mania is in evidence throughout Chiclayo, which is dotted with murals of the Augustinian friar.
Two restaurants display signs claiming to have served Robert Francis Prevost.
T-shirts and souvenirs bearing his features are on sale in a nearby shop, and several businesses have erected large banners to welcome him to Chiclayo.
"This is his land. We await him with open arms," said Melani Soto, an 18-year-old university student.
- A city transformed -
The pope is scheduled to land in Peru's capital, Lima, on November 11 and arrive two days later in Chiclayo to celebrate Mass in a hot desert plain near the Pacific Ocean, about 13 kilometers from the city center.
Jasson Sempertegui, a 36-year-old priest who served as Leo's private secretary between 2016 and 2019, told AFP that his former boss had a "great desire to feel like the bishop of Chiclayo (again), at least for a few days and to share that closeness with the people."
Leo's thoughts, upon being elected pope in May 2025, were immediately with his "beloved diocese of Chiclayo," which earned a special mention in his first public address from the balcony of St Peter's Basilica.
"We are a chaotic, underdeveloped city with many problems" but "thanks to the Pope, things have been improving," said Sempertegui.
Several residents say that the roads the pope is expected to travel have finally been repaired after years.
- Pope-themed desserts -
If he does make it to Chiclayo, the pope will be able to indulge his famously sweet tooth with an array of goodies fashioned in his likeness.
"It's a way of showing affection... to someone who was very important here," said 47-year-old Sister Rosa Rodriguez with a smile as she passed a store selling a papal King Kong -- a traditional Chiclayo caramel cookie sold in a box stamped with a caricature of Leo.
Ciro Suxe, a blanket vendor, said he plans to attend the mass in Chiclayo and then follow Leo on his apostolic journey to the small Andean town of Santa Cruz, more than three hours away by car.
In a middle-class neighborhood, altars, crucifixes, and images of the Pope adorn the home of Joaquin Kawakami Effio, a 15-year-old who is considering the priesthood.
The election of Leo XIV as Pope "touched something inside me," said Kawakami, who will be among the altar servers at the papal mass.
At a municipal center, a choir of about a hundred faithful practices hymns for the ceremony.
Mayli Villalobos, a 34-year-old soprano and nurse, arrives at the practice after a 12-hour hospital shift.
No effort is too great for the pope, she said.
"He's like our ambassador."
M.Vecchiarelli--LDdC
