This article is republished from The Conversation, an independent and nonprofit source of news, analysis and commentary from academic experts. Matthew Casey-Pariseault is an Associate Clinical Professor of History at Arizona State University.
In his first appearance as Pope Leo XIV on the balcony of St. Peter鈥檚 Basilica, the man born Robert Francis Prevost . Then he transitioned to Spanish and, with a big grin, gave a greeting to his 鈥渂eloved diocese of Chiclayo in Peru.鈥�
Many Peruvians were overjoyed with the election of Leo, whom they are proud to claim as a fellow citizen. 鈥淭he Pope is Peruvian!鈥� reported the live coverage on , one of the main national networks. Other news outlets around Lima, where I live, shared similar headlines. Within minutes, all of Peru knew that the new pope, who was born and raised in Chicago, had for over two decades and was nationalized as a citizen in 2015.
During his time in the South American nation, he lived alongside his parishioners through , a decade-long dictatorship and an unstable post-dictatorship period that has so far led to three former presidents . Amid these challenges, Prevost became part of Peruvian society 鈥� and, eventually, a leader within it.
Prevost鈥檚 leadership roles in Chicago and Rome were essential in his formation. But as , I believe that it is his time in Peru that has best prepared him to take on the challenges of directing the global Catholic Church. In Peru, where Catholicism permeates public life, Prevost encountered deep social and political challenges in ways that bishops in many other countries may never face so directly.
Missionary during war and dictatorship
Prevost first arrived in Peru in 1985. A member of the Order of St. Augustine, the young man had been , in the northern province of Piura. Chulucanas is about 30 miles east of the regional capital, where the desert coast begins to rise up into the Andes.
After a year, Prevost left to finish his doctoral degree and serve briefly in Illinois. But he soon returned to Peru, serving as a missionary in the northern city of Trujillo. He stayed there through the remainder of the 1980s and 1990s, amid civil war between the government and various militant groups 鈥� primarily , or 鈥淪hining Path,鈥� who aimed to install a communist state.
The violence hit other regions more severely, but Trujillo and the surrounding area were home to , sabotaged and brutal . Prevost accompanied Peruvians through some of the darkest days of the country鈥檚 history.
During these years, Prevost trained future clergy and served as a parish priest. One fellow Augustinian recalled that Prevost played a key role in to the priesthood. Prevost also of Nuestra Se帽ora de Montserrat, where his parishioners knew him as 鈥淧adre Roberto.鈥�
As the country transitioned away from the civil war period, which ultimately left nearly , Prevost remained in Peru. During the 1990s, President Alberto Fujimori鈥檚 government built by undermining democracy and citizenship rights while .
READ MORE: The first American pope, Ft. Lauderdale's community court and rescued Venezuelan opposition leaders
As I show in , religion and politics are deeply intertwined in Peru. By the 1990s, the Peruvian Catholic Church was divided between members who spoke out in defense of human rights and those who defended the often brutal tactics of the government. Juan Luis Cipriani Thorne, who was then the archbishop of Ayacucho 鈥� the Andean stronghold of Sendero Luminoso 鈥� became a spokesperson for the pro-state faction, framing defenders of human rights as .
Prevost was among those who maintained a critical view of any party, including the government, that committed human rights abuses. Diego Garc铆a-Say谩n, the country鈥檚 former minister of justice and foreign affairs, recently praising Prevost鈥檚 willingness to speak out against attempts to legalize the death penalty and to defend embattled human rights organizations.
From Chiclayo to the Vatican
After returning to the United States in 1999, Prevost . He was sent back to Peru in 2014, when Pope Francis named him the apostolic administrator, and later bishop, of the northern diocese of Chiclayo.
As bishop, Prevost emerged as a voice for democracy and justice. In a 2017 to national media, he urged former President Fujimori to 鈥減ersonally ask forgiveness for the great injustices that were committed and for which he was prosecuted.鈥�
During his tenure as bishop, Prevost helped guide his community through the COVID-19 pandemic. He also played a key role ministering to Chiclayo鈥檚 growing population of .
Meanwhile, he was gaining the confidence of his peers, as well as Pope Francis. Prevost was given a leadership role in the Peruvian Conference of Bishops and played a central role during Francis鈥� . In 2023, Francis named Prevost , the oversight body for naming new bishops across the world.
Prevost took the position in Rome but was sad to leave Peru again. 鈥淭his time, again, it will be hard for me to leave here,鈥� .
In recent years, Prevost has taken on causes central to Francis鈥� papacy. He was a in the Vatican investigations of a Peruvian organization, Sodalicio de Vida Cristiana, which was found to have committed dozens of sexual and psychological abuses dating back to the 1970s. Francis in 2025. Prevost has also developed an increased focus on Indigenous and environmental rights, Francis鈥� 2015 encyclical and 2019 conference for bishops in the Amazon.
Local celebrations
Photographs and memes celebrating the Peruvian pope have flown around social media and WhatsApp groups in Peru. The photos of Prevost eating traditional dishes from the north coast are especially popular. of the pope wearing the Peruvian national soccer jersey or are making the rounds.
In Chiclayo and Trujillo, in addition to official church celebrations, thousands have to express their joy with placards and chants.
Leo XIV has clearly brought the memory of his years in Peru with him to the Vatican. He has chosen Edgard Rimaycuna, a Peruvian priest whom the pope knew from his time in Chiclayo, as his .
I believe the challenges that Leo guided his parishioners through in two decades in Peru should offer valuable lessons for the new pope to build on the legacy of Francis, .
This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the
