Andean nation cheers Pope Leo XIV

Then-Cardinal Robert F. Prevost, now Pope Leo XIV, celebrates Mass at St. Jude Parish, in New Lenox, Illinois, U.S., in 2024. Augustinian Province of Our Mom of Good Counsel/Handout through REUTERS 

LIMA — Within the Peruvian coastal metropolis of Chiclayo, some 5,000 kilometers from new Pope Leo XIV’s hometown of Chicago, Catholics took to the streets and church bells rang on Thursday to have fun the election of the previous missionary who they embrace as considered one of their very own.

Cardinal Robert Prevost, chosen as the brand new chief of the Roman Catholic Church, is a twin U.S.-Peruvian citizen who labored for many years within the north of Peru, first as a missionary and later as Bishop of Chiclayo from 2015 to 2023.

Within the small metropolis, the devoted gathered in entrance of the cathedral within the warmth on Thursday after white smoke billowed from the Sistine Chapel within the Vatican. Because the announcement was made, they jumped and cheered. Bells tolled across the metropolis.

READ: Robert Francis Prevost of US is new pope, takes title Leo XIV

“We’re excited by this blessing from God,” Jesús León Ángeles, who’s coordinator of a Catholic group in Chiclayo and has identified Prevost since 2018, instructed Reuters by cellphone.

“We had been praying since yesterday when the conclave of cardinals started on the Vatican to elect the pope.”

León Ángeles mentioned she had labored carefully with Prevost on plenty of charitable and social help initiatives in Chiclayo and close by Trujillo, and in different impoverished cities throughout the nation.

She instructed Reuters beforehand that Prevost was humble and down-to-earth, in addition to being an individual who favored to assist others.

“He’s somebody who has management abilities, however can be listener,” she mentioned earlier than the election. “He has that advantage. He’s very well-liked, we love him very a lot, he’s not an conceited particular person.”

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Within the Plaza de Armas, the primary sq. of Peru’s capital Lima, dozens of individuals gathered on the cathedral subsequent to the federal government palace.

“Within the workplace we have been ready anxiously for the white smoke to see who could be elected Holy Father,” mentioned lawyer Carolina Flores.

“It’s a great reward from heaven that he’s Peruvian. For us the Pope is Peruvian. He’s Peruvian as a result of he has lived many years in Peru, he was a bishop in Chiclayo,” she mentioned.

After the election on the Vatican, Pope Leo XIV appeared on the central balcony of St. Peter’s Basilica and greeted the ready crowds. Throughout his first deal with as pope, he spoke briefly in Spanish, sending greetings to Peru and to Chiclayo.

Prevost was made a cardinal in 2023 by Argentine pontiff Francis, who introduced him to Rome to move the Vatican workplace charged with electing clergymen to function bishops worldwide. He has since participated within the choice of most of the world’s bishops.

Lima resident Salvador Oliva Ramos mentioned that he was positive the brand new pope would come again to go to his adopted homeland and “repair” issues within the nation – in addition to get pleasure from among the native delicacies.

“He’s a Pope who eats ceviche, eats his beans with mutton, eats his cau cau,” he mentioned exterior the cathedral, referring to in style native dishes. “I guarantee you that one yr from now, the pope will go to for the meals.”