Pope Leo Mass in Lima, 16 Nov 2026: Free Tickets

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PERU · POPE LEO MASS IN LIMA

The Pope Leo Mass in Lima takes place on Monday 16 November 2026, and tickets are free but named. They are issued only online, on 5, 6, 7 and 8 November, so US pilgrims should prepare now.

Leo XIV is the first pope born in the United States, and this is his first trip to Peru as pope. This guide explains how to get a ticket, the gate rules, and where he goes in Peru from Wednesday 11 November.

What the Visit Is and Why It Matters

Leo XIV was born in Chicago and spent years in northern Peru as a missionary and later as bishop of Chiclayo. For many American Catholics, the Pope Leo Mass in Lima is a rare chance to see a US-born pope where he worked.

Peru is the last stop of a longer trip. The Holy See Press Office, the Vatican’s official spokesman’s office, lists Uruguay, Argentina and Peru from 6 to 17 November 2026.

In Peru he visits Lima, Chiclayo, Cusco and the Amazon city of Pucallpa between Wednesday 11 and Monday 16 November. On the last day he flies to Rome from Lima at 1:45 p.m.

Leo, who is 71, had lung surgery on 13 October. On 26 October the Holy See Press Office said there were no contraindications, meaning no medical reason to cancel the trip.

The Peruvian Episcopal Conference, the country’s body of Catholic bishops, says every religious activity of the visit is free. Our earlier visitor overview covers the background, and this guide adds the ticket rules of 26 October.

Free Tickets and How to Get Them

The Archdiocese of Lima, the church’s Lima headquarters, said on 26 October that tickets for the Pope Leo Mass in Lima are free and non-transferable. They are issued only through Ticketmaster Peru, at ticketmaster.pe, on 5, 6, 7 and 8 November.

First create an account, then find the event called Santa Misa en la Base Aérea Las Palmas and choose the general public category. Each person may request up to eight tickets in one seating block, with the full name and ID number of every attendee.

Foreign visitors register with a passport or a foreigner’s card as their ID. At the gate you must show the QR-code ticket, on paper or on a phone, together with the same physical ID.

Gates open at 10:00 p.m. on Sunday 15 November, and each ticket shows its own gate and entry time. The Mass begins at 10:30 a.m. on Monday 16 November, the same clock as New York.

People with disabilities enter through Gate No. 2 with one companion, and both need tickets. Strollers are allowed for children up to age five, and minors need their own ticket and ID, plus a parent or guardian.

The Archdiocese’s official visit website is leonvuelveacasa.com, with a question-and-answer page on the Mass. Never pay anyone for a ticket, since the Archdiocese bans any sale or resale.

Wednesday and Thursday in Lima

Leo lands at the Callao Air Base, Lima’s port district, at 5:30 p.m. on Wednesday 11 November. A welcome ceremony at the Government Palace follows at 6:15 p.m., then a visit to the president at 6:45 p.m.

At 7:45 p.m. he speaks to officials, civil society and diplomats at the Gran Teatro Nacional, a theater in Lima. No public tickets are listed for that evening.

On Thursday 12 November at 9:30 a.m. the pope meets Peru’s bishops, and prayer in Lima Cathedral follows. A public meeting in the square in front of the cathedral begins at 11:30 a.m.

The Vatican lists a prayer vigil with young people and college students at the National Stadium at 6:00 p.m. that day. Organizers moved the vigil there from the Estadio Monumental, and they say passes will be free and digital.

Peru’s clock matches New York’s all month, because the United States returns to standard time on Sunday 1 November. A 6:00 p.m. start in Lima is therefore 6:00 p.m. Eastern.

Friday and Saturday in Chiclayo

On Friday 13 November the pope flies to Chiclayo, a city on Peru’s northern coast. He leaves Lima at 7:40 a.m., lands at 9:10 a.m. and celebrates Mass at 10:30 a.m. near the Pampas de Pimentel.

At 4:30 p.m. he meets clergy at the Shrine of Our Lady of Peace. At 5:45 p.m. he meets the university community at the Santo Toribio de Mogrovejo Catholic University.

On Saturday 14 November at 8:00 a.m. the Vatican lists a coronation rite for the Immaculate Virgin at Chiclayo’s cathedral. Then the pope takes a helicopter to Santa Cruz de Succhabamba, a rural community in the Cajamarca region.

He celebrates Mass there at 11:00 a.m. and returns to Chiclayo in the afternoon. At 5:30 p.m. he leads a prayer meeting that closes the Jubilee Year of Santo Toribio de Mogrovejo.

Chiclayo is the pope’s former diocese, so it is the emotional center of the trip, well before the Pope Leo Mass in Lima. The government also declared Friday 13 and Saturday 14 November non-working days in Lambayeque, where Chiclayo lies, and in three other regions.

Sunday in Cusco and Pucallpa, Monday Farewell

Sunday 15 November is the busiest day of the trip. The pope leaves Chiclayo at 7:50 a.m. and lands in Cusco, the old Inca capital, at 10:00 a.m.

At 10:30 a.m. he meets the faithful and representatives of popular devotion at the Saqsaywaman archaeological park. At 11:45 a.m. he leads the Angelus prayer in the square in front of Cusco’s cathedral.

He then flies to Pucallpa, a city in the Amazon. At 3:00 p.m. he meets missionaries and Amazonian peoples, and the Mass begins at 4:45 p.m. at the Villa Deportiva Regional Ucayali.

He returns to Lima at 8:20 p.m. that night. On Monday 16 November he first visits a care home run by the Little Sisters for Abandoned Elderly People.

The Pope Leo Mass in Lima is at 10:30 a.m. at Las Palmas Air Base in Surco, a district of Lima. The farewell ceremony is at 1:15 p.m. at Callao Air Base, and the plane for Rome leaves at 1:45 p.m.

Getting Around and Crowds

The Pope Leo Mass in Lima is held at Las Palmas, a flat Peruvian Air Force base in Surco, in southeast Lima. It is an open-air event on a base, so expect a very large crowd, long queues and a night outside.

For the Pope Leo Mass in Lima, the Archdiocese says perimeter closures and security deployments are planned around the base. It urges residents to avoid private cars and use public transport.

On site, the Archdiocese lists free drinking-water points, restrooms, medical tents and ambulances in various sectors. It has not published a list of banned items or a route map in its 26 October notice.

Peru’s government declared compensable non-working days for the visit in Supreme Decree 020-2026-TR, published on 23 October. In Lima and Callao they run from 1:00 p.m. on Wednesday 11 and Thursday 12 November, plus all of Monday 16 November.

Expect heavy traffic and slow offices in Lima on those days, as our report on the days off explains. Plan airport trips around them, and keep your tickets saved on a charged phone.

Tips for US and Foreign Visitors

The US State Department says US citizens need no visa for tourist stays under 90 days. Your passport must be valid for six months and have one blank page, and border officers set your length of stay.

The State Department advises increased caution in Peru because of crime, civil unrest and kidnapping risk. In Lima it advises app-based or phone-booked taxis, and says demonstrations can be unpredictable.

Cusco sits high in the Andes, so allow a day to adjust to the altitude before any hike. If you fly in for the Pope Leo Mass in Lima, pick one or two of the other events instead of chasing all of them.

For a longer trip, our Lima city guide and Cusco city guide cover neighborhoods and costs. Our Chiclayo crowd report explains the lodging squeeze in the north.

If you plan to stay beyond the visit, read our guide to moving to Peru. Our report on the youth rally venue change explains the Estadio Nacional switch.

What Is Not Confirmed Yet

The exact start time of the ticket sale on 5 November has not been published, and Ticketmaster Peru shows no listing yet. The ticket site for the Estadio Nacional vigil has not been named either.

How people without tickets can follow the Mass, and the Masses in Chiclayo, Cusco and Pucallpa, has not been published. Exact street closures and public-transport changes in Lima are not published either.

The programme can change at short notice, and the pope’s health is the main unknown after his October surgery. The Holy See Press Office has the final word on any change.

Check the Archdiocese of Lima and the Peruvian Episcopal Conference before you buy flights or hotel rooms. We will update this Pope Leo Mass in Lima guide if the organizers publish more ticket rules.

More: Peru news in English, every day from The Rio Times.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do I get tickets for the Pope Leo Mass in Lima?

Tickets are free and named, and only Ticketmaster Peru issues them, on 5, 6, 7 and 8 November. Each person may request up to eight, using the ID of every attendee.

What time is the Pope Leo Mass in Lima?

The Mass is at 10:30 a.m. on Monday 16 November 2026 at Las Palmas Air Base. Gates open at 10:00 p.m. on Sunday 15 November, on the same clock as New York.

Do US citizens need a visa for Peru?

The State Department says US citizens need no visa for tourist stays under 90 days. You need a passport valid for six months and one blank page.

Sources: Holy See Press Office, Apostolic Journey to Uruguay, Argentina and Peru, programme, accessed 28 October 2026; Archdiocese of Lima, Misa en Las Palmas: información oficial para entradas y accesos, 26 October 2026; Official visit website of the Archdiocese of Lima, accessed 28 October 2026; Ticketmaster Peru (official ticket seller named by the Archdiocese), accessed 28 October 2026; Peru Ministry of Labor and Employment Promotion, Supreme Decree 020-2026-TR, 23 October 2026; US State Department, Peru travel information, accessed 28 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