From ‘Monseñor Roberto’ to Pope Leo XIV, Chiclayo celebrates a father’s return
By Junno Arocho Esteves, OSV News
CHICLAYO, Peru (OSV News) — Long before he was named the 267th supreme pontiff of the Catholic Church, Pope Leo XIV was known to the people of the northern city of Chiclayo as either “Monseñor Roberto” or simply “Padre Roberto.”
The many signs and welcome banners spread across the city streets celebrate the return of an adopted son. For Chiclayans, he was a pastor who walked their streets, shared their love of regional cuisine, and, more importantly, stood side by side with them through the grief and isolation of the COVID-19 pandemic and shared their suffering when natural disasters struck.
— A ‘father’ of welcoming gesture, help and bond —
For Father Juan Mechán Sánchez, parochial vicar of the Cathedral of St. Mary in Chiclayo who served closely under then-Bishop Robert Prevost, the pope’s arrival on Nov. 13 will mark a father’s return home.
“When ‘Monseñor Roberto’ was bishop of Chiclayo, I would define him as a father and a person very close to everyone, without exception,” Father Mechán told OSV News Nov. 9.
Pope Leo was “a father in terms of that welcoming gesture, patience, help, and also correction, but a prudent man for all,” and his closeness was felt not just during liturgical celebrations, “but especially during critical and difficult moments where human suffering was deeply felt,” he added.
Father Mechán said that during the COVID-19 pandemic, then-Bishop Prevost was not a “shepherd who just received reports of events,” but instead was at the scene “with his people, with the individuals and families going through hard times.”
Remembering that time as a “rather harsh, very difficult period,” the priest said that it was the future pope who spearheaded a campaign and rallied regional businesses to acquire an oxygen plant that prevented “many people from dying.”
“His presence has always strengthened our people’s journey in the Diocese of Chiclayo. He even left us that memory of a Corpus Christi celebrated here in our cathedral, with a procession with the Blessed Sacrament around the perimeter of the main park — just him with the Blessed Sacrament and the accompaniment of the priests, since our people could not leave their homes due to the lockdown,” Father Mechán said.
— ‘The presence of God is found in the needy’ —
Wendy, a Chiclayo resident visiting the cathedral with her son, Aníbal, and her mother-in-law, recalled seeing then-Bishop Prevost when she attended the Dominican-run Catholic school, Inmaculada Concepción, and at Sunday Mass.
“I remembered his presence very much,” Wendy told OSV News. “He was a humble person, welcoming, and with a gift for knowing how to listen and reach every kind of audience.”
She also said she hoped his return to Chiclayo would “strengthen our faith even more, to accompany each other, and to be united as brothers and sisters here in our country and for the whole world.”
For her, Pope Leo was “chosen for a special purpose,” and, as he did as bishop, he is coming to renew their faith.
“We live in a free society, but we can’t forget that there is a spiritual being, our God in whom we believe,” Wendy said. “His presence renews that faith and strength as someone who represented our city. It is always meaningful to know where we come from and where we are going.”
Raúl, an elderly Peruvian who hails from the northern city of Piura, remembered the American-born pope’s early days as a missionary priest in Chulucanas, and continued to see him when he celebrated Mass at the cathedral as bishop of Chiclayo.
“To have known him as a priest in Chulucanas, then as bishop here, and now to see his third stage as pope — for me, it is a joy,” Raúl told OSV News.
Although age and mobility may prevent him from catching a glimpse of the pope when he arrives, Raúl said he hopes to see him, fondly recalling Pope Leo’s “charisma” and the way he “looked out for the poor.”
“As he says, the presence of God is found in the needy: let us not marginalize them, but love them, because in doing so we are loving God. It is a lie to say one loves God while failing to love our fellow human beings,” he added.
Just steps from the cathedral, 60-year-old Oscar Ramírez Flores, a waiter at Las Américas, which the future pontiff would sometimes visit, recalled the emotion felt by the people of Chiclayo when their former bishop was elected.
“It seems he really likes his Chiclayo,” Ramírez told OSV News, remembering the pope’s words to his former diocese after his election.
Recalling fears that Pope Leo’s visit would be canceled after his recent lung surgery, the Peruvian waiter said he was relieved the pope would “fulfill his promise to his Peru.”
“He knows he will be received very well in Peru, too, because he was such a good person — very, very good,” he said.
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Junno Arocho Esteves is an international correspondent for OSV News. Follow him on X @jae_journalist.
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