Pope Leo XIV made a triumphant return to Chiclayo on Friday, the city where he served as bishop for eight years and was known as Padre Roberto.
He touched down to a big sign reading Pope Leo returns home and a small dance troupe, before greeting a smaller but deeply enthusiastic crowd. The former Bishop Robert Prevost of Chiclayo came home as the leader of the Catholic Church, walking part of the way past lines of cars to the vast desert plain outside the coastal city.