Chiclayo: Thousands of Catholic gathered on Saturday for an external mass in Peru’s Peru city to celebrate the choice of Pope Leo XIV, who lived, eat and pray among them.The first American head of the Catholic Church spent nine years at the commercial center along the Pacific Coast, where he is claimed as his own.Chiclayo is “an ordinary city that he loved deeply and continues to move into his heart,” Chiclayo Bishop Edinson Farfan told a packed congregation at St. Mary’s Cathedral.Robert Francis Prevost was born in Pope Leo, Chicago, first set foot as a missionary in Peru four decades ago. He returned to the city in 2014 and nominated Bishop the following year, in this process became a natural Peru citizen.He remained there until he was called to Rome in 2023 by his predecessor, late Pope Francis. At his first address from the Vatican on Thursday, Leo briefly congratulated his “dear Suba Ke Pyaare Suba” in Spanish and paid tribute to his “loyal people”.Seven thousand miles away, many people in the city can hardly believe that “El Obispo” is a new pope. 57 -year -old teaching assistant, Roja Maria Berndez said, “There are no words to explain emotions, the feeling that our pope has been here, is close to us.”Between a sea of yellow balloons, some loyal paintings were waved as a bishop from the time of Leo. One gave an indication that read: “Papa Leo XIV, Chiclayo will always be your home”.“Papa Amigo, Chikleyo Esta Cotigo (Pope, my friend, Chikleyo is with you),” he said with applause.Bishop Farfan described Leo as “deeply sensitive to social justice” and praised his “big heart” and closeness of the poor, migrants, refugees and “those who suffer”.He said, “The city of friendship, the city, came with the holy father Leo XIV in his pilgrimage so that he could now continue the hope of hope for the whole world from Latin America, from Chalaio to Universal Church.”From the front row of the mass, Maria Elena Laberiano, 45, said: “We are very happy that the current pope is a chikalayan.”Others expressed happiness that the Pope has put an international spotlight on Chiklayo, where they hope he would return. “Certainly, we will expand an invitation to his arrival and see us,” said Farfan.
