What Pope Leo XIV’s selection to lead the Catholic Church has meant for one Peruvian city
Chiclayo, Peru — This is far from the southern side of Chicago in the heart of Chiclayo in northern Peru.
But it was a simple sentence, spoken on a Vatican balcony by The first American popeIt transformed Chiclayo into a sensation.
“A greeting to everyone, and in particular to my beloved diocese of Chiclayo, in Peru, where a faithful people accompanied their bishop, shared their faith and gave so much, following, following a faithful church of Jesus Christ.”, Declared Pope Leo XIV from the Balcony of Saint-Pierre Basilica on May 8. After being chosen by cardinal voters in the papal enclave to succeed Pope Francis.
Lion, A native of Chicago WHO was 70 years old on Sundayis also a citizen of Peru, where he served for more than two decades, first as a missionary. He then directed an Augustinian seminar in Trujillo, and in 2014, he was appointed apostolic administrator of the Diocese of Chiclayo. In 2015, he became bishop in Chiclayo and he was made cardinal there in 2023.
The Reverend Fidel Purisaca Vigil, spokesperson for the Diocese of Chiclayo, recalls the local reaction to the Leo declaration on the balcony.
“Some have cried, we laughed and we remember all these graceful moments that he spent with us here in Chiclayo,” Purisaca told CBS News.
That day at the beginning of May, when Robert Prévost of the time of the time, went on the throne of Saint-Pierre, Chiclayo was also lifted, becoming an instant tourist attraction.
City officials said Leo’s election had mentioned a pilgrimage here by Catholics around the world.
It was also a blessing for the economy. Tourism caused by it could give Chiclayo an annual boost estimated at $ 40 million, according to city officials.
Restaurants, hotels and travel companies rush to meet demand.
“Really, we are going to have a lot of work with everyone, with hotels, tour operators, restaurants, with tourist guides,” News Maria Isabel Espinal, who heads a local tourism agency, told CBS.
Like the Stations of the Cross, tourists retrace the leo steps here, walking from the church to the church along its unique path towards the papacy.
They even stop at his favorite lunch place, served by none other than Leo’s favorite server, Carlos.
“This is where the pope sit down,” said Carlos, who added CBS, who added that he prays every day for his old friend, the new pope.
