Pope Leo XIV in Lima and Cusco, 11 to 16 November 2026
EXPATS & NOMADS · LIMA
Key Facts
- —Dates Wednesday 11 to Monday 16 November 2026 in Peru; Lima on 11, 12 and 16 November, Cusco on Sunday 15 November
- —Venue Main Mass at Las Palmas Air Base, Santiago de Surco, Lima, Monday 16 November at 10:30; youth vigil at Estadio Monumental, Lima, Thursday 12 November at 18:00
- —Tickets Free digital passes for the Las Palmas Mass, issued through Catholic parishes, deaneries and vicariates; official site leon14enperu.com
- —Prices Free entry, according to the visit’s organisers in Lima
- —Doors and start Las Palmas opens the day before the Mass, with 15 of its 17 gates in use; Mass at 10:30 local time
- —For US visitors No visa for tourist stays under 90 days; passport valid for six months at entry
The first pope born in the United States spends six days in the country where he worked for decades. Here is where he will be in Lima and Cusco, how the free passes work and what a US visitor should plan for.
Pope Leo XIV, born Robert Prevost in Chicago, arrives in Lima on Wednesday 11 November 2026 and leaves on Monday 16 November after a farewell Mass at Las Palmas Air Base that organisers expect to draw at least 1.2 million people. The Holy See has published the full programme. For a US traveller already in Peru, or thinking of flying in, the Pope Leo XIV Lima visit is the largest public gathering the city will see this year, and it will shape traffic, hotel demand and access to the historic centre for most of that week.
The Peru leg is the longest of a twelve-day journey that starts in Uruguay on 6 November and continues through Argentina. In Peru the pope also visits Chiclayo, where he was bishop, and Pucallpa in the Amazon. This guide covers the two stops most foreign visitors will reach: Lima and Cusco.
What the Visit Is and Why It Matters
Leo XIV is not a stranger arriving in Peru. He worked in the country as a missionary from the mid-1980s, served as bishop of Chiclayo from 2015 to 2023 and holds Peruvian nationality. Peruvians treat the trip as a homecoming, and the government has declared it a matter of national interest by supreme decree, with a high-level commission led by the foreign minister in charge of logistics.
The scale is the point for visitors. Monseñor Guillermo Inca, secretary general of the Peruvian Episcopal Conference and national coordinator of the visit, told the state news agency Andina he expects at least 1.2 million people at the closing Mass. Foreign Minister Carlos Espá has gone further, speaking of about two million. Pope Francis said Mass at the same air base in January 2018, so Lima has done this before, but not with a pope who lived here.
Organisers say about 30,000 volunteers have signed up. PromPerú, the national tourism board, estimates the visit could move about 800,000 people and generate around 300 million soles (about US$87 million at the 2 October rate) in economic activity, with pilgrims expected from Chile, Bolivia, Ecuador and Colombia as well as from across Peru.
The Lima Programme, Day by Day
Wednesday 11 November. The pope flies in from Buenos Aires and lands at the Callao Air Base at 17:30. He goes to the Palacio de Gobierno on the Plaza Mayor for a welcome ceremony at 18:15, meets the president at 18:45 and addresses authorities, civil society and the diplomatic corps at the Gran Teatro Nacional at 19:45.
Thursday 12 November. After a morning meeting with Peru’s bishops at the Archbishop’s Residence, he leads mid-morning prayer in Lima Cathedral at 10:20. At 11:30 he speaks at a meeting on the challenges and hopes of the Peruvian people in the square in front of the cathedral; Bytton said participants will include representatives of communal kitchens and victims of violence. At 18:00 he holds a prayer vigil with young people and students at the Estadio Monumental in Ate, where organisers expect about 60,000 people.
Friday 13 to Sunday 15 November. The pope is away from Lima, in Chiclayo on Friday and Saturday, with a Mass at Santa Cruz in the Cajamarca region on Saturday, then in Cusco and Pucallpa on Sunday. He returns to the Callao Air Base at 20:20 on Sunday night.
Monday 16 November. He visits a home for elderly people run by the Little Sisters at 08:30, then celebrates Holy Mass at Las Palmas Air Base at 10:30. The farewell ceremony is at the Callao Air Base at 13:15 and his flight to Rome leaves at 13:45. Organisers say the image of the Señor de los Milagros, Lima’s most venerated religious image, will be present at the Mass, as it was in 2018.
Las Palmas Air Base and How the Passes Work
Las Palmas is a Peruvian Air Force base in the district of Santiago de Surco, in the south of the city. Its main appeal for organisers is space: the ground is flat, with evacuation routes and separate entry areas for older people and people with disabilities.
Father Juan Bytton, secretary general of the visit in Lima, said on 4 October that the base will open the day before the Mass and that 15 of its 17 gates will be used for entry and exit. One thousand priests will concelebrate, and 3,000 points will be set up to distribute communion.
Entry is free. Bytton said about 95 percent of passes will be digital, and asked the faithful to organise through their vicariates, deaneries and parishes, which will explain how to obtain them. He also warned that capacity limits apply when registering. For a foreign visitor, that means the practical route to a pass runs through a Lima parish, ideally one where you know someone, rather than through any public ticket platform. Treat anyone selling passes online as a scammer.
The Mass is planned for the morning partly because of heat. Espá has said organisers want it as early as possible because of El Niño conditions, so expect a long wait in the sun if you go, and bring water, a hat and sunscreen.
The Cusco Stop on Sunday 15 November
Cusco gets a short, intense morning. The pope lands at Alejandro Velasco Astete International Airport at 10:00, meets the faithful and representatives of popular devotion at the Saqsaywaman archaeological park at 10:30, and prays the Angelus on the square in front of Cusco Cathedral at 11:45. He flies on to Pucallpa at 13:05.
If you are in Cusco that weekend for Machu Picchu or the Sacred Valley, assume that Saqsaywaman, the Plaza de Armas and the airport road will be under heavy security for most of Sunday morning. Cusco sits at about 3,400 metres (roughly 11,000 feet). The US State Department advises travellers to learn the symptoms of altitude sickness before they go, and standing in a crowd for hours on arrival day is not the way to acclimatise.
Tips for US and Foreign Visitors
Entry. US citizens do not need a visa for tourist stays of less than 90 days in Peru. The State Department’s Peru page, checked on 5 October 2026, asks for a passport valid for six months at the time of entry and one blank page for the entry stamp. Its travel advisory for Peru stands at Level 2, exercise increased caution, citing crime, civil unrest and the risk of kidnapping.
Book early. The Lima dates fall on a Wednesday, Thursday and Monday, and the government is still deciding whether to give people time off. Hotels in Miraflores, Barranco and the centre are likely to fill with domestic and regional pilgrims, and flights into Lima and Cusco around the weekend of 14 and 15 November will be busy.
Moving around. Expect road closures around the Plaza Mayor on 11 and 12 November, along the routes between the air bases and the city on 11, 15 and 16 November, and around Surco on 15 and 16 November. Allow far more time than usual to reach Jorge Chávez International Airport in Callao on those days.
Safety. Large crowds attract pickpockets. Carry a copy of your passport rather than the original, keep your phone in a front pocket and agree a meeting point in case your group is separated. Mobile networks often struggle when a million people share the same few square kilometres.
Where to watch. Access rules for the cathedral square on Thursday morning have not been published, so do not count on getting close without a pass. For background on the trip see our report Pope Leo XIV Will Visit Peru From 11 to 16 November, and for the October processions that come first, our guide Señor de los Milagros Lima: Peru’s Purple Month Closes the Old Centre on 18, 19 and 28 October 2026.
What Is Not Confirmed Yet
Holidays. As of 5 October no decree had declared a public holiday or non-working day. The government was reported to be studying a national holiday on Monday 16 November, but the record of the 25 September cabinet session does not include it; the labour ministry has instead proposed compensable non-working days, which staff make up later. Dates under discussion for Lima were 11, 12 and 16 November, with separate days for Lambayeque, Ucayali and Cusco. Check before you plan around closed offices or banks.
Pass distribution. The parishes have not yet published a single public procedure or deadline for the digital passes, and it is not clear whether any will be set aside for foreign visitors.
Gate times and transport. The hour Las Palmas opens on Sunday 15 November, the bus and Metropolitano arrangements and the full list of road closures have not been announced.
Cusco access. Organisers have not said whether entry to the Saqsaywaman meeting or the Angelus will need a pass, or how the archaeological park’s normal visitor hours will change that day.
The programme itself. Peru’s own decree notes that the programme has changed before. Times above are those of the Holy See’s published programme and could still move.
Frequently Asked Questions
When is Pope Leo XIV’s Mass in Lima?
Pope Leo XIV celebrates Holy Mass at Las Palmas Air Base in Santiago de Surco, Lima, on Monday 16 November 2026 at 10:30 local time, according to the Holy See’s programme. It is the last public event of his visit to Peru, which runs from 11 to 16 November.
How do I get a pass for the papal Mass at Las Palmas?
Entry is free. Organisers say about 95 percent of passes will be digital and will be distributed through Catholic vicariates, deaneries and parishes in Lima, which will explain how to register. Capacity limits apply. Do not buy passes from online sellers.
Do US citizens need a visa to see the pope in Peru?
No visa is needed for tourist stays of less than 90 days. The US State Department asks for a passport valid for six months at entry and one blank page for the entry stamp. It rates Peru at Level 2, exercise increased caution.
Sources: Holy See Press Office, programme of the Apostolic Journey to Uruguay, Argentina and Peru; leon14enperu.com, official site of the visit; Diario Oficial El Peruano, supreme decree on the papal visit (22 September 2026); Agencia Andina (4 October and 23 September 2026); La República (23 September 2026); El Comercio (3 October 2026); US Department of State, Peru international travel information.
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