Pope Leo Takes Peru Tour Into the Andes

Pope Leo XIV celebrated an open-air Mass at Pimentel, a coastal town beside Chiclayo in northern Peru, on Friday and began with words the city wanted to hear: “What a joy to return to Chiclayo!” On Saturday the first US-born pope leaves the coast behind and flies by helicopter into the Andes.

For US readers, the day is worth following because it shows how the Vatican is spending a pope’s time in Latin America. Peru is on the same clock as the US East Coast in November, so the 11:00 Mass falls at 11:00 a.m. in New York and Washington.

What Leo Said at Pimentel

The Vatican published the full text of Friday’s homily, delivered on the esplanade at the Pampas de Pimentel, an open plain beside the coastal town of Pimentel in the Chiclayo area. The pope opened with warmth: “It is a blessing for me to be with you again,” he said, in Spanish.

He then thanked the faithful for their prayers “particularly for my health in these moments of trial, which, with God’s help, I am overcoming.” The text does not say what the trial is, and we do not guess.

The core message was about who carries the Church’s work. “All Christians, ordained ministers and lay faithful, are missionary disciples,” he said, in our translation from the Spanish.

That means ordinary believers, not only priests, are expected to share the faith. He added that evangelising, which means spreading the Christian message, “centres on the witness of life and community closeness.”

It is not, he said, a matter of imposing doctrines or relying on efficient structures. He closed by asking the crowd to “overflow” their caseríos, the small rural settlements of the Peruvian countryside, along with their towns and cities, with the Gospel.

That last word points straight at Saturday, because the next stop is exactly such a place.

Why Saturday Is Different

Chiclayo is a city on Peru’s northern coast, and Leo knows it well. his predecessor Pope Francis named Robert Francis Prevost, as Leo was then, apostolic administrator of the Diocese of Chiclayo on 3 November 2014, and he became its bishop on 26 September 2015. Saturday takes him to a very different setting.

The official programme lists the helipad as Santa Cruz de Succhabamba, in the Cajamarca region, a highland area far from the beaches and the capital. The choice follows the logic of Friday’s homily: a pope who says the Gospel should reach the caseríos now goes to one.

Why the Vatican picked this particular community is not stated in the programme.

The Saturday Programme, Hour by Hour

The Holy See, the Vatican’s governing body, announced the schedule in September. All times below are Peru time, which equals US Eastern.

08:00. The pope leads a rite of crowning for the Virgin Immaculate, a statue of Mary, at the Santa María Cathedral in Chiclayo.09:10. He leaves Chiclayo’s military air base by helicopter and is due at the Santa Cruz de Succhabamba helipad at 09:50.11:00. He celebrates Mass on the esplanade at Santa Cruz de Succhabamba, with a homily.13:15. The helicopter flies him back, with arrival at Chiclayo’s Pedro Ruiz Gallo air base set for 14:00.

17:30. He joins a prayer meeting at the shrine of Saint Turibius of Mogrovejo to close a Jubilee Year, a special year of devotion, marking 300 years since the saint was canonised. Saint Turibius of Mogrovejo was a 16th-century archbishop of Lima, and the Church honours him as a model for bishops across Latin America.

The shrine, in the town of Zaña in the Chiclayo area, is tied to his memory.

What Comes Next on the Tour

On Sunday the pope flies from Chiclayo to Cusco, due to land at 10:00. At 10:30 he meets the faithful and representatives of popular piety, meaning traditional local devotions, at Saqsaywaman, an Inca-era archaeological park above the city, and he leads the Angelus prayer at 11:45 outside the cathedral basilica.

He then flies to Pucallpa, a city in the Amazon, for a 15:00 meeting with missionaries and representatives of Amazonian peoples. A Mass at 16:45 at the regional sports ground follows, and he arrives in Lima at 20:20.

On Monday 16 November he visits a home for the elderly run by the Little Sisters of the Abandoned Elderly, a religious order that cares for older people, at 08:30. His final Mass is at 10:30 at Las Palmas, a military air base in Lima, a farewell ceremony is at 13:15, and the plane for Rome leaves at 13:45.

Our earlier coverage sets the scene: see our papal visit guide, the Friday preview from Chiclayo and the story of protest victims asking for a meeting. More is in our Peru news in English section.

What Is Not Known

No official attendance figure for the Pimentel Mass has been published, so any number in circulation is an estimate. The programme is the one announced in September, and weather or security could change a helicopter schedule at short notice.

Nor is it known what the pope meant by his “moments of trial”. The Vatican has not elaborated in the homily text.

What It Means for You

If you follow the Church from the United States, Saturday is a test of the pope’s stated priority: reaching ordinary believers outside big cities. His words and the places he visits will signal where he wants the Church to spend its attention in the Americas.

If you travel to Peru, check local transport and security notices for Chiclayo on Saturday, Cusco and Pucallpa on Sunday, and Lima on Monday, because papal events can disrupt travel.

Frequently Asked Questions

What time is the pope’s Mass on Saturday?

The Mass at Santa Cruz de Succhabamba is at 11:00 Peru time on Saturday 14 November. That is 11:00 a.m. US Eastern.

Where is Santa Cruz de Succhabamba?

The programme places it in Peru’s Cajamarca region, in the Andes. The pope travels there by helicopter from Chiclayo.

What did the pope say at Pimentel on Friday?

He said it was a blessing to be back in Chiclayo. He told the faithful that all Christians, including lay people, are missionary disciples.

When does the pope leave Peru?

His plane for Rome departs the Callao air base at 13:45 on Monday 16 November, after a farewell ceremony at 13:15.