PERU · CHURCH
Key Facts
- The death Domenico Berni, an Italian bishop who served in Peru, died in Genoa on Sunday 8 November 2026.
- The age He was 86, and no cause of death has been given.
- The friendship He was a close friend of Pope Leo XIV, the first US-born pope.
- The tour Pope Leo is due in Peru from Wednesday 11 November, with the Peru programme ending Monday 16 November.
- Power Index Peru ranks 5th of 14 in The Rio Times Latin America Power Index, with 53.9 points (November 2026 edition).
Domenico Berni, a retired Italian bishop who spent 47 years in Peru, died in Genoa, Italy, on Sunday 8 November 2026, aged 86. Vatican News, the Holy See’s own media service, reported the death the same day.
His friend Pope Leo XIV is in Buenos Aires on Monday 9 November, where he has six events, as our report on the Buenos Aires schedule explains. The Pope is due to land in Lima on the evening of Wednesday 11 November.
What Happened
The Vatican said Berni, a member of the Order of St Augustine (a Catholic religious community), died in Genoa, a port city in northern Italy, at the age of 86. It gave no cause of death.
The Diocese of Piacenza-Bobbio, Berni’s home diocese in northern Italy, announced his funeral for Wednesday 11 November at 10:00 in Genoa. Burial follows at 15:00 in Carniglia, the hamlet near Bedonia where he was born.
A Missionary in the Andes
Berni was born on 26 May 1940 in Piane di Carniglia, a hamlet of Bedonia in northern Italy. He arrived in Apurímac, a region in the southern Andes of Peru, in 1971.
He served 15 years as parish priest of Antabamba, and his work also reached the Apurímac provinces of Grau and Cotabambas. Through Caritas, the Church’s charity, he worked on projects that included giving seeds and vegetables to families.
Apurímac neighbours Cusco, a stop on the Pope’s tour. Our explainer on Peru’s regions and provinces shows how the country is divided.
On 29 March 1989, Pope John Paul II named Berni bishop prelate of Chuquibambilla, a territorial prelature (a church district run like a diocese) in Apurímac. Pope Francis accepted his resignation on 24 April 2018, according to the Vatican’s press office, and Berni returned to Italy after 47 years in Peru.
Berni asked to be consecrated at the Basilica of San Pietro in Ciel d’Oro in Pavia, Italy, where the relics of St Augustine are kept. He also celebrated 60 years of priesthood on 29 June.
A Friendship With Pope Leo
Pope Leo XIV was born Robert Prevost in Chicago, and like Berni he is an Augustinian. The Vatican said a deep friendship linked Berni to Prevost.
The two met in Peru and then at least twice a year at Augustinian gatherings. In 2018, Prevost travelled more than 1,000 km (over 620 miles) to say goodbye when Berni left Peru.
Later, as head of the Vatican’s Dicastery for Bishops (its department for bishops), Prevost visited Berni in Liguria, Italy. In November 2025, Berni travelled to Rome and met Leo XIV at the Apostolic Palace, the pope’s official residence in Vatican City.
The Pope’s Tour of Three Countries
The tour covers Uruguay, Argentina and Peru from 6 to 17 November 2026, as the Holy See press office announced on Wednesday 5 August. Our report on the landing in Uruguay covers the first stop.
The Peru stage runs from 11 to 16 November and takes in Lima, Chiclayo (a city in northern Peru), Cusco and Pucallpa (an Amazon city). A Mass in Lima is set for Monday 16 November, and our page on free tickets for the Lima Mass has details.
Leo was bishop of Chiclayo in Peru from 2015 to 2023, and Chiclayo is on the tour. Apurímac is not on the Vatican’s Peru itinerary.
What It Means for You
Pope Leo is the first US-born pope, so his return to the country where he served as a bishop draws attention in the United States as well as in Peru. Travellers heading to Lima, Chiclayo, Cusco or Pucallpa between 11 and 17 November should check the visit schedule, which covers those four cities.
Investors have little to act on here, since the death is a religious and personal event with no stated policy effect. No change to the Pope’s Peru programme has been announced.
What Is Not Known
The cause of death has not been stated. We found no announcement of a memorial service in Peru.
It is also not known whether the Pope will mention Berni during his trip. A visit to Apurímac has not been announced.
In plain English: A bishop prelate leads a territorial prelature, a church district run like a diocese. The Augustinians are a Catholic religious order, and Caritas is the Church’s charity.
More: Peru news in English, every day from The Rio Times.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who Was Domenico Berni?
Berni was an Italian Augustinian bishop who worked in Peru’s Apurímac region from 1971 to 2018. He died in Genoa, Italy, on Sunday 8 November 2026, aged 86.
How Did Berni Know Pope Leo?
Both are Augustinians, and they met in Peru and at least twice a year at Augustinian gatherings. The Vatican says a deep friendship linked Berni to Robert Prevost, now Pope Leo XIV.
When Is Pope Leo in Peru?
The Peru stage runs from the evening of Wednesday 11 to Monday 16 November 2026. It covers Lima, Chiclayo, Cusco and Pucallpa.
Sources: Holy See, official programme of the apostolic journey to Uruguay, Argentina and Peru, read 9 November 2026; Holy See press office, bulletin of 24 April 2018, read 9 November 2026; Vatican News (the Holy See’s media service), obituary of Domenico Berni, 8 November 2026, read 9 November 2026; Diocese of Piacenza-Bobbio, funeral notice, read 9 November 2026.
This article was produced by The Rio Times’ automated AI newsroom. Editorial responsibility: Matthias Camenzind, Publisher and Editor-in-Chief. The Rio Times also runs Ask Rio Times, which answers from 100,000+ of our own articles, the daily Latin America Power Map, and prediction-market odds on elections and markets.. How we use AI · Report an error