In the Peruvian coastal city of Chiclayo, about 5,000 km from the new hometown of the new Pope Leo XIV in Chicago, the Catholics took to the streets and the bells of the churches played this Thursday (8) to celebrate the Election of the former Missionary that they embraced as one of their own.
The cardinal Robert Prevost chosen as the new leader of the Roman Catholic Church, has double citizenship, American and Peruvian, and worked for decades in northern Peru, first as a missionary and later as Bishop of Chiclayo, from 2015 to 2023.
In the small town, the faithful gathered in front of the cathedral in the heat this Thursday (8), after a white smoke came out of the Sistine Chapel in the Vatican. When the announcement was made, they jumped and applauded. The bells played around the city.
“We are excited about this blessing of God,” said Jesús León Angeles, coordinator of a Catholic group in Chiclayo, who has known Predost since 2018, to Reuters by telephone.
“We were praying since yesterday, when the cardinal conclave began at the Vatican to elect the Pope.”
Leon Ángeles said he worked closely collaboration with Prevost in a series of charity and social assistance projects in Chiclayo and neighboring Trujillo, and in other poor cities across the country.
She told Reuters earlier that Prevost was humble and foot on the floor, as well as being a person who liked to help others.
“He is someone who has leadership skills, but he is also a good listener,” she said before the election. “He has this virtue. He is very dear, we love him so much, he is not an arrogant person.”
In Plaza de Armas, the main square of Peru’s capital, Lima, dozens of people gathered at the cathedral near the government palace.
“In the office, we were looking forward to white smoke to see who would be elected Holy Father,” said lawyer Carolina Flores. “It is a tremendous gift from heaven the fact that he is Peruvian. For us, the Pope is Peruvian . He is Peruvian because he lived decades in Peru, he was bishop in Chiclayo, ”he added.
After the election at the Vatican, Pope Leo XIV appeared on the central balcony of St. Peter’s Basilica and greeted the crowd awaiting him. During his first speech as Pope, he spoke briefly in Spanish, sending greetings to Peru and Chiclayo.
Prevost was named Cardinal in 2023 by the Argentine Pontiff Francisco, who took him to Rome to head the Vatican’s dikings. Since then, he has participated in the selection of many of the bishops of the world.
Salvador Oliva Ramos, a resident of Lima, said he was sure that the new pope would return to visit his adopted homeland and “fix” things in the country – besides enjoying some of the local cuisine.
“He is a pope who eats ceviche, eats beans with ram meat, eats cau,” he said outside the cathedral, referring to popular local dishes. “I assure you that, in a year, the Pope will visit the country because of the food.”
This content was originally published in Andean country celebrates Pope Leo XIV’s election: “For us, the Pope is Peruvian” on CNN Brazil.
Source: CNN Brasil
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