Pope Leo’s 12 November Lima Youth Rally Changes Venue
PERU · SOCIETY
Key Facts
- —The country Peru, where Leo XIV served as a bishop, hosts him 11–16 November.
- —What happened Pope’s Lima youth meeting moves from the Monumental to the Estadio Nacional.
- —Who confirmed Cardinal Carlos Castillo, archbishop of Lima, on Thursday, 8 October.
- —When Thursday, 12 November, 6 p.m. Lima time (6 p.m. New York).
- —Tickets Free; dioceses hand out passes, and organisers say nothing is sold.
- —Still open The official online programme still lists the old venue.
The Chicago-born pope’s meeting with young Peruvians has a new home, about five weeks before he lands in Lima.
Pope Leo XIV will meet young Peruvians at Lima’s Estadio Nacional on Thursday, 12 November. The city’s archbishop confirmed the venue on Thursday, 8 October.
The event had been planned for the Estadio Monumental in Ate, an eastern district of the city.
Cardinal Carlos Castillo, the archbishop of Lima, gave the news in an interview with the state broadcaster TV Perú, RPP reported. For American Catholics planning to travel, it changes a key evening of the first US-born pope’s visit to Peru.
Why the Estadio Monumental Was Dropped
On Saturday, 3 October, Monsignor Guillermo Inca said the Monumental would not host the meeting. Inca is the national coordinator of the visit and deputy secretary general of the Peruvian Bishops’ Conference.
He told the news channel Canal N that preparations had advanced a long way, but some technical problems had become “insurmountable”. The Monumental is the home ground of the Lima football club Universitario de Deportes.
It followed reports that owners of private boxes there had offered them for rent on the day. Organisers stressed that every encounter with the pope is free and that nobody may charge “a single sol” for entry.
Organisers then named the Estadio Nacional as the likely alternative. Rome still had to approve it via the Apostolic Nunciature, the Vatican’s embassy.
What Changes at the Estadio Nacional
Castillo said the Estadio Nacional makes a pastoral meeting “more possible”. He promised choreography, music and testimonies, and said young people will put questions directly to the pope.
The stadium sits in central Lima, beside the Parque de la Reserva and a station of the Metropolitano rapid-bus line. Church analyst Kurth Mendoza told RPP that it offers easier conditions for security and for moving large crowds.
Castillo said Leo XIV will first hold a dialogue on the Plaza de Armas, Lima’s main square. A lunch follows before the evening meeting.
The official programme lists a prayer vigil with young people and students at 18:00. Lima and New York share a clock that week, so that is 6 p.m. Eastern.
The Rest of the Peru Programme
The official site lists Lima and Callao, Chiclayo and Santa Cruz, Cusco and Pucallpa. Peru is the last stop of a tour that also includes Uruguay and Argentina.
Leo XIV, born Robert Prevost in Chicago, served as bishop of Chiclayo in northern Peru. The programme calls Chiclayo “the diocese that saw him become a bishop”.
In Cusco on Sunday, 15 November, he will present the Golden Rose to the Virgen de Belén, the city’s patroness. Monsignor Israel Condorhuamán of the Cusco archdiocese told RPP of the plan.
The archdiocese plans for 90,000 people at Sacsayhuamán and 50,000 on Cusco’s Plaza de Armas. It is recruiting 5,000 volunteers and weighing QR-code passes.
What It Means for You
Travellers booking Lima hotels for 12 November should look near central Lima and the Metropolitano line, not in Ate. Road closures around the stadium are likely that day.
Entry to every papal event is free, and passes come through Catholic dioceses and parishes. Organisers say nobody may charge for entry, so paid offers of seats or boxes are not official.
Visitors heading to Cusco and Machu Picchu should allow for crowds and possible traffic limits on 15 November.
What Is Not Known
The official online programme still listed the Estadio Monumental on Friday, 9 October. The websites of the Lima archdiocese and the bishops’ conference carried no written notice.
Organisers have not said how many passes the Estadio Nacional event will have. It is unclear how people outside Lima parishes can get them.
What Comes Next
The next steps are an updated official programme and the handout of passes through the dioceses. The visit closes with a Mass at Lima’s Las Palmas Air Base on 16 November.
The change concerns one evening event only. The dates of the visit and the other venues in Lima, Chiclayo, Cusco and Pucallpa are unchanged.
Frequently Asked Questions
Where will Pope Leo XIV meet young people in Lima?
At the Estadio Nacional in central Lima on Thursday, 12 November. Cardinal Carlos Castillo confirmed the venue on 8 October.
Why was the Estadio Monumental dropped?
Visit coordinator Guillermo Inca cited technical problems that could not be solved. Reports of private boxes offered for rent also drew criticism.
Do I need to pay to attend?
No. Organisers say every event of the visit is free, with passes handed out through dioceses and parishes.
Which Peruvian cities will the pope visit?
Lima and Callao, Chiclayo and Santa Cruz, Cusco and Pucallpa, from 11 to 16 November.
Why does this visit matter to Americans?
Leo XIV was born in Chicago and served for years as a bishop in northern Peru. He is the first pope from the United States, and the trip includes his former diocese.
Sources: Official programme of the Apostolic Visit of Leo XIV to Peru; RPP, 8 October; Canal N, 3 October; RPP, Cusco programme, 7 October; América TV, 4 October (all accessed 9 October 2026).
This article was produced by The Rio Times’ automated newsroom system. How we use AI · Report an error · Editorial responsibility: Matthias Camenzind, Editor-in-Chief