Pope Leo Prays for Peru's Violence to End From His Old Cathedral

Pope Leo XIV used a Saturday visit to his former cathedral and a remote mountain community in northern Peru to pray for an end to the violence gripping the country, the Associated Press reported. The pontiff, who spent years in the region as Robert Prevost, tied his message to crime that has become Peruvians' top worry.

Official data cited by the AP show the homicide rate has nearly doubled over five years, a trend that is reshaping daily life and politics in the country.

Where did the pope go on Saturday?

Leo led a special ceremony at the Cathedral of St. Mary in Chiclayo, where he was bishop from 2014 to 2023, and entrusted his pontificate to the Virgin Mary. He then flew by helicopter to Santa Cruz de Succhabamba, a mountain community 150 kilometers (93 miles) from central Chiclayo and 2,035 meters (6,675 feet) above sea level.

According to the AP, the trip reflected his belief that shepherds should reach the peripheries. As bishop, he often made the difficult drive to the town himself in a pickup truck. The Rev. Kevin Noriega, who oversees pastoral services, recalled before Mass that the pope loves cars and used to drive everywhere.

What did Leo say about the violence?

In the cathedral, Leo spoke of a “darkness” hanging over Peru and said people feel threatened by widespread violence and by suffering that continues to afflict many. He added that God's gift still shines despite that gloom, the AP reported.

In Santa Cruz de Succhabamba, he acknowledged the temptation to answer injustice with violence but urged another path. He said that “Selfishness, injustice and evil are not overcome by brutality,” and called instead for prayer, patience and persistence in denouncing wrongs and working for change.

Earlier in Lima, he condemned violence against women and denounced “machismo,” calling for women to be respected and protected.

How bad is crime in Peru?

According to official data cited by the AP, the homicide rate rose from 5.8 to 10.7 per 100,000 people over the past five years. Reports of extortion climbed from 2,421 in 2019 to 26,734 in 2025.

How is the government responding?

Conservative President Keiko Fujimori took office in July after promising to tackle crime. The AP reported that she has since declared states of emergency, including in Lima in August and in prisons holding inmates linked to criminal organizations in September.

She has also brought Peru into the “Shield of the Americas,” a U.S.-led regional coalition formed for joint military operations against drug cartels. Shortly before the pope's visit, she toured the maximum-security prison built by Salvadoran President Nayib Bukele, known as the Terrorism Confinement Center, or CECOT. Fujimori expressed interest in replicating that model during her campaign.

Why does it matter?

The pope's remarks put one of Peru's most pressing problems in front of a global audience at a time when crime has disrupted daily life and helped shape the outcome of the last presidential election, according to the AP. His call for responses based on patience and persistence rather than force arrives as the government pursues tougher security measures.

Peru also faces widespread illegal gold mining and is the world's second-largest producer of coca leaves, after Colombia, according to the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime.

What happens next on the trip?

Leo is expected to address those issues when he meets Amazonian and Indigenous peoples on Sunday. He will celebrate a final Mass in Lima on Monday before returning to the Vatican. He received a joyous welcome in Chiclayo on Friday.

Around Prague, based on reporting by ABC News

Cover photo: Marco Chuica Rodríguez / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0, cropped

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