Pope Leo XIV listens and responds to Peru's challenges facing families, women and workers

 

Pope

• Pope Leo XIV
• Peru
• apostolic journey
• women
• work
• economy
• indigenous people

Pope urges Peruvians to build a society based on respect, inclusion, solidarity

After listening to four testimonies in Lima, Pope Leo addresses challenges facing families, women, workers, and a culturally diverse society, and he calls for greater solidarity and a commitment to the common good.

Vatican News

“Let us value women! Let us protect and respect girls!” Pope Leo XIV appealed to Peruvians on Thursday, urging them to build a society rooted in solidarity, respect and the common good, as he addressed the challenges facing families, women, workers and culturally diverse communities on the first full day of his Apostolic Journey to Peru.

Addressing Peruvians on the first full day of his Apostolic Journey to their country, Pope Leo XIV called on them to build a society where everyone can live with dignity and contribute to the common good.

The Pope was speaking during a meeting focusing on “Challenges and Hopes of the Peruvian People” in Lima, in the square of the Basilica Cathedral of Saint John the Apostle and Evangelist. The event, which included a musical interlude, saw him respond to questions raised by four testimonies highlighting some of the country's most pressing concerns: the difficulties facing families, the richness and challenges of cultural diversity, violence and discrimination against women, and the insecurity confronting entrepreneurs and workers.

At the beginning of his address, Pope Leo welcomed those gathered, describing himself as a brother and companion on their journey. “During these days, I wish to walk among you as John the Baptist did, bearing witness to the Light that enlightens everyone: Jesus Christ, the Son of God,” he said.

The family: a first place of welcome

The first testimony highlighted the pressures facing families, including economic hardship, excessive workloads, lack of time together, digital technology, and changing traditional roles.

The Pope stressed that these challenges are interconnected and must be addressed with the human person at the centre of social, economic and political life. “At the center of every social, economic and political organization must be the human person, created in the image and likeness of God, endowed with infinite dignity and called to live in relationship with others,” he said.

He described the family as the first natural society, with rights of its own, which public institutions must recognise and protect rather than replace.

Leo XIV thanked the many mothers, aunts and grandmothers who, often facing difficulties alone, transmit faith and hope to future generations. He said he wished to offer “special thanks to these women — mothers, aunts and grandmothers — who pass on faith and sure hope to future generations with great courage through the example of their lives.”

He also acknowledged families wounded by economic problems, emigration, addictions, abuse and domestic violence, urging them not to give in to hardship. “God loves all families, especially those going through crises. To them I want to say: do not give in to difficulties,” he said, recalling the Holy Family's own experience of uncertainty, displacement and hardship.

He also warned that digital technology risks replacing genuine human interaction and exposing family members to distractions and harmful content, calling for cooperation between political leaders, educational institutions and families.

Cultural diversity as a path to reconciliation

A second testimony addressed Peru's wealth of cultures, languages and traditions, while highlighting persistent prejudice and dehumanising language.

The Pope described the country's cultural, linguistic, historical and regional plurality as a great richness. Differences, he said, should foster encounter and mutual enrichment. “It is precisely because we are different that we create ‘common-unity’ — community,” he explained.

He warned against words and behaviour that offend or judge people because of their appearance, origins or social condition, even when disguised as jokes or popular expressions. “Along with disarming our language by giving up hurtful words, we must also disarm our attitudes,” he said.

Referring to Jesus' words, “Learn from me; for I am meek and humble in heart”, Leo XIV explained that meekness is not weakness but an inner strength that moderates anger and resentment, transforming them into patience, dialogue and reconciliation.

He recalled Saint Turibius of Mogrovejo, who spread the Gospel among peoples speaking different languages and faced the challenge of fostering peaceful coexistence and communion.

Cultural diversity, he said, can become an instrument of peacemaking when people recognise those who are different as brothers and sisters deserving of respect.

Pope Leo during the meeting on challenges and hopes for the future of Peru   (VATICAN MEDIA)

Protecting and valuing women

The third testimony highlighted the contrast between women's fundamental contribution to Peruvian society and the persistence of mistreatment and violence against them.

Leo XIV said women's presence, respect, and participation must be promoted in every sphere of society and the Church.

He deplored the persistence of machismo, manifested in fathers' absence from family life, abuse and violence against women. Such attitudes disregard the Christian understanding that men and women possess equal dignity and responsibility.

He also drew attention to women living in poverty and those belonging to Indigenous and Afro-Peruvian communities, who may suffer double marginalisation.

Renewing his appeal to Catholics and all people of goodwill, he issued a direct plea: “Let us value women! Let us protect and respect girls!”

He pointed to the Virgin Mary as the model of a free and strong woman, committed to authentic discipleship and the mission of the Church.

Work, entrepreneurship and the common good

The fourth testimony described the determination of Peruvians who, faced with a lack of formal employment, have created their own businesses to support their families and contribute to society.

It also highlighted the fear caused by extortion, robbery and even murder at the hands of criminal gangs operating with impunity.

In response, the Pope called on businesses to become protagonists in building the common good. “A business is a society of persons in which capital, management and labor must be ordered toward integral human development,” he said.

He stressed the responsibility of public authorities to establish a just legal framework and ensure a reasonable balance between work, rest and family life.

Society's wealth and resources, he added, must not benefit only a few, but contribute to the development of all.

Education is also essential, he said, while public policies must support families, guarantee the human and intellectual formation of students, and protect the dignity of work alongside private initiative.

A society founded on the common good

Bringing together the four themes, Leo XIV said that families, businesses, cultural diversity and the participation of women all have a role in building a society committed to the common good. Just structures, he stressed, must be accompanied by a willingness to overcome corruption, violence and individualism.

He urged Peruvians to make their homes “schools of fraternity”, their businesses “communities of dignified work and social responsibility”, and their cultural differences opportunities for encounter, so that all may contribute to a more just society founded on peace.

Pope Leo meets with the Bishops of Peru

 

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• Pope Leo XIV
• bishops
• Peru
• faith
• apostolic journey

Pope: 'Be shepherds who combine doctrinal clarity with pastoral closeness'

During his meeting with the Bishops of Peru, Pope Leo urges them to be shepherds who combine doctrinal fidelity with pastoral closeness, and to always walk with their people and their fellow Bishops, and before the Lord. Telling them to learn from the holiness of Peru’s saints, he reminds the Peruvian prelates that before the tabernacle, Bishops ‘regain correct perspective on their ministry.’

By Deborah Castellano Lubov

"May we never lack the time to be with the Lord and to accompany those who need to experience the Bishop’s spiritual fatherhood. For the Bishop, united to Christ, even amidst his limitations, is an instrument of comfort, unity and hope."

Pope Leo XIV expressed this when addressing the Bishops of Peru at the chapel of the Archbishop’s Palace in Lima on Thursday, marking his first full day in the country.

In his remarks, the Pope stressed that Bishops must open their hearts to the Peru of today, observing that an ancient path retains its value when it continues to enable people to reach their destination.  

Need for shepherds who combine doctrinal fidelity with pastoral closeness

"We must ask ourselves which paths truly lead to Christ, and we should denounce false paths," he said.

Moreover, he insisted, "Peru needs shepherds capable of listening to the questions of our time and illuminating them with the clarity of the Gospel."

He said this is especially important in order to best "accompany families, support young people, defend the life and dignity of every person, promote justice and commit to the care of creation, helping in a particular way those who suffer from poverty, exclusion, corruption, violence and a lack of opportunities."

Pope Leo said this mission "requires us to combine doctrinal fidelity with pastoral closeness; the celebration of the sacraments with a commitment to our neighbor; and the formation of consciences with a concrete witness of charity."

‘Before the tabernacle, we regain correct perspective on our ministry’

The Pope stressed the importance of learning from the holiness of the country's saints and of turning to the Eucharist.

"The Eucharist is the source and summit of our Christian life.  Before the tabernacle, we regain the correct perspective on our ministry. The Church does not belong to us; it belongs to Christ. We are messengers who will one day complete our journey. Only God remains!"

Pope Leo also reflected on those models of holiness who have walked these lands before them in the country, including Saint Turibius of Mogrovejo and Saint Rose of Lima. 

Saint Rose's prayer life and dedication to those in need,” he reflected, “remind us that apostolic fruitfulness depends on our union with the Lord, consequently, on the care we take of our own spiritual life in the episcopal ministry.”

Saint Francis Solano, he said, teaches us to cross borders to proclaim the Gospel, for “his joyful missionary spirit reminds us that the Church exists to proclaim Jesus Christ, especially to those living on the human and geographical peripheries.”

Whereas Saints Martin de Porres and Juan Macías, through their humility, he noted, teach us to recognize Christ in the least among us.

The Pope said these individuals also remind us that no person can be judged by their rank, their origins, or their social status.  

He reflected that “the lives of the saints — each distinct yet united by a single faith: Bishops, priests and laity; Spaniards, Creoles and Mulattos — represent the unity of the Church in Peru and form a school of holiness.”  

He reassured the Bishops that “they continue to walk with us, here and now, along the many paths of the one Way, teaching us to be in Illo uno unum.”

Resolute commitment to fostering a culture of prevention 

In his address to the Peruvian Bishops, the Pope condemned a reality that has caused immense suffering, namely the abuses perpetrated by members of the clergy or within the context of the Church.

“We must respond as Jesus would, with truth, with justice, with forgiveness, with making amends, and an ever more resolute commitment to fostering a culture of prevention and protection for the weakest in light of such crimes.”

No Bishop nor particular Church should ever feel alone

He told the Bishops that their mission as Bishops calls them to be bridgebuilders, to foster dialogue, to educate others in having fruitful encounters and to help heal the wounds that divide Peruvian society."

He said that to do this effectively requires opening their hearts to their brother Bishops so “as to cultivate trust, share our difficulties and strengthen episcopal fraternity.” 

“No Bishop should feel alone on this journey. No particular Church should carry out its mission as if it were separate from that of the others,” Pope Leo acknowledged.

Accordingly, in and through communion, the Holy Father asserted, the Bishop “will be an instrument in preventing social or political polarization from weakening his prophetic and evangelizing mission.”

Pope Leo urged them "to never cease walking with the people;" "to never cease walking together, in episcopal communion, as witnesses to the unity we proclaim"; and "to never tire of opening our hearts to God, so that he may renew our vocation; to our brothers and sisters, so that divisions may be healed; and to his people, so that they may find in you the 'Father Bishop' who is close at hand, courageous and merciful."

Pope Leo XIV concluded by praying that the Blessed Mother grant that all the children of this beautiful land — in the Andean highlands, in the valleys, in the Amazon, on the coast and on the islands — may find in the Church a home where they are welcomed, listened to, loved and led to Jesus Christ.”

Pope Leo XIV before bedtime, wishes a good night to the people of Lima, and the people of Peru

 

Pope

Pope Leo thanks Peru for its warm welcome: "I am at home here"

At the close of his first day in Peru, Pope Leo greets the faithful outside Lima’s Apostolic Nunciature, asking them to pray for peace and to foster unity in their families.

By Francesca Merlo – Lima, Peru

Pope Leo XIV is back in Peru, where he served for years as an Augustinian missionary and later as Bishop of Chiclayo. The highlights of his first day take us from his welcome at Callao Air Base to his meeting with President Keiko Fujimori and his address to civil authorities, representatives of civil society and diplomats at Lima’s Grand National Theatre.

Goodnight, Lima. Goodnight, Peru.

At the end of the day, after dinner, the Pope stepped out onto the balcony of the Apostolic Nunciature and greeted the faithful who had gathered to wish him goodnight. “I have returned home,” he told them. “Here I am at home.” He thanked them for their welcome, asked them to pray for peace and joked that the celebrations could go on a little longer, but not too long, since the neighbors wanted some peace of their own.

Before leading the crowd in the Our Father and giving his blessing, Pope Leo called for “a special prayer for your families”. “It is very important to think of families and to look for ways to foster unity in our own families,” he said.

“Goodnight,” he said finally, before ending with a “see you tomorrow”.

Looking ahead

On Thursday, Pope Leo will meet Peru’s bishops and preside over Midday Prayer in Lima’s cathedral before taking part in a gathering on the challenges and hopes of the Peruvian people in the square outside.

First public appearance for Pope Leo XIV in Peru

 

Pope Leo's first public address was to authorities, civil society, and members of the Diplomatic Corps (VATICAN MEDIA)

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• Peru
• human rights
• Magnifica humanitas
• peace
• saints and blessed

Pope in Peru: ‘Distance does not necessarily diminish love for one’s homeland’

Speaking to authorities and the diplomatic corps for his first public address in Peru, Pope Leo highlights his long-held roots to the country and urges leaders to help protect the “everyday peace” of its people.

By Kielce Gussie

Back in Peru—a country he called home for more than two decades—Pope Leo XIV spoke to authorities and members of the diplomatic corps in his first public address at the “Gran Teatro Nacional” in Lima.

“This return visit holds a very special meaning for me,” he explained, adding that his connection to Peru began long before he was the bishop of Chiclayo. “For years, I shared in the lives of its people, listened to their concerns, and learned from their faith,” the Pope shared.

He remembered the people who opened their homes to him, particularly sharing “some good ceviche” with him, making him feel “like one of their own.” In 2015, Pope Leo received Peruvian citizenship—an act, he highlighted, that “symbolized a bond that this people had been weaving into my life long before.”

Standing in the capital city, he said he understands “how much of this land remains with me and how much of my own story also belongs to you.”

“Today I understand how much of this land remains with me and how much of my own story also belongs to you.”

Returning to Peru now as the Successor of Peter, the Pope noted that his years in the country helped form him as a shepherd. He expressed gratitude for his time in Peru and for the opportunity to return.

A shared national destiny

Pope Leo then turned to many languages and traditions that mark the culture of the country. Almost 500 years ago, the Catholic faith reached the shores of Peru and the first saint of Latin America came from Peru—St. Rose of Lima.

While the different regions of Peru maintain their own traditions, the Pope underlined how the “unity of a people is strengthened when these differences find their place and each person contributes from their own history and convictions.”

The country expresses solidarity through shared work projects, help for families, and hospitality. These are ways in which someone can find ways of showing their love for their country.

He stressed that “to love a people is to desire that everyone may live with dignity among them, to take an interest in them, and to be willing to offer something of oneself for their good.” Something he said he understands better thanks to the people of Peru.

Concern for others is embodied in public service and democratic life that can bring people of different beliefs and goals together, united through a “shared national destiny.”

Real people, real life

The Pope explained that listening is an essential first step in understanding the needs of others, especially in a country with many languages. Beyond the files, paperwork and the census numbers, there are real people.

Listening demands a special patience when disagreements and painful experiences arise. “Democratic life implies recognizing that no one has all the answers and that differences do not prevent us from sharing a sincere concern for the good of the country,” Pope Leo urged.

“Democratic life implies recognizing that no one has all the answers and that differences do not prevent us from sharing a sincere concern for the good of the country.”

He challenged them to cultivate honesty, integrity, and a willingness to engage with others.

Peace has a concreate meaning for families, the Pope explained: going to work without being afraid, caring for one’s children, and returning home with a peace of mind. No one should be deprived of these “simple aspirations.”

He noted that the Church “is aware of the suffering caused by violence and wishes to remain close to those who endure it, encouraging the efforts of all who work to protect the life, dignity, and rights of people through law and justice.”

Providing for one’s family also makes up a part of this “everyday peace.” Each job plays a role in the life of the country and each has a dignity that should be recognized.

There are certain goods that cannot be replaced by economic prosperity: “peace of conscience, the certainty of being loved, and the freedom to seek the truth and to guide one’s life according to it.”

Dialogue and cooperation

Pope Leo urged authorities provide accessible health services and to strength preventive medicine in order to support families who care for the elderly, the sick, those with mental health challenges and those with disabilities.

While praising the positive advances in science and technology in regards to healthcare, educational opportunities, and the environment, the Pope also called for “adequate legal safeguards to prevent potential abuses and protect people from the consequences.”

He pointed out that environmental protection and the responsible use of new technologies needs collaboration among countries. Issues affecting people of different regions and nations “are best addressed through dialogue and cooperation.”

Thinking of the many Peruvians who live abroad, the Pope stressed that “distance does not necessarily diminish love for one’s homeland; at times, it allows us to recognize more clearly how much we have received from it.”

Wars and conflicts that affect people worldwide demand patient diplomacy, which Pope Leo described as “diplomacy that keeps dialogue open, respects international law, and seeks agreements that protect the lives and dignity of people.”

While every nation has its own legitimate ambitions, the fortunes of one are inseparable from those of others.

A reciprocal relationship

Closing his speech, Pope Leo explained that the relationship between Peru and the Holy See are based in the spirit of regional and international cooperation. The Peruvian Constitution recognizes the Catholic Church as a significant part of the historical, cultural, and moral formation of the country and helps in the collaboration between Church and State.

The Church continues to offer Peru its mission of proclaiming the Gospel, walking with those who suffer, and serving the dignity of every human being.

"This return visit holds a very special meaning for me," the Pope shared.   (VATICAN MEDIA)

There are numerous ways to serve Peru, the Pope said, offering his gratitude to all who serve. “I have received so much from you. There are faces, conversations, and gestures of affection that, even after so many years, continue to stay with me,” he shared.

He proposed the Social Doctrine of the Church as a guide to “enlighten and direct the efforts of all who work for the good of this nation.”

“Through the intercession of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Saint Rose, and all the saints and blessed of this land, I ask the Lord that the love of Christ may help you to recognize in every Peruvian a brother or sister, and in each one, yet another reason to love your homeland.”

Saint of the Day for Thursday

 

St. Josaphat of Polotsk

Josaphat, an Eastern Rite bishop, is held up as a martyr to church unity because he died trying to bring part of the Orthodox Church into union with Rome.

In 1054, a formal split called a schism took place between the Eastern Church centered in Constantinople and the Western Church centered in Rome. Trouble between the two had been brewing for centuries because of cultural, political, and theological differences. In 1054 Cardinal Humbert was sent to Constantinople to try and reconcile the latest flare up and wound up excommunicating the patriarch. The immediate problems included an insistence on the Byzantine rite, married clergy, and the disagreement on whether the Holy Spirit proceeded from the Father and the Son. The split only grew worse from there, centering mostly on whether to except the authority of the Pope and Rome.

More than five centuries later, in what is now known as Byelorussia and the Ukraine, but what was then part of Poland-Lithuania, an Orthodox metropolitan of Kiev and five Orthodox bishops decided to commit the millions of Christians under their pastoral care to reunion with Rome. Josaphat Kunsevich who was born in 1580 or 1584 was still a young boy when the Synod of Brest Litovsk took place in 1595-96, but he was witness to the results both positive and negative.

Many of the millions of Christians did not agree with the bishop's decision to return to communion with the Catholic Church and both sides tried to resolve this disagreement unfortunately not only with words but with violence. Martyrs died on both sides. Josaphat was a voice of Christian peace in this dissent.

After an apprenticeship to a merchant, Josaphat turned down a partnership in the business and a marriage to enter the monastery of the Holy Trinity at Vilna in 1604. As a teenager he had found encouragement in his vocation from two Jesuits and a rector who understood his heart. And in the monastery, he found another soulmate in Joseph Benjamin Rutsky. Rutsky who had joined the Byzantine Rite under orders of Pope Clement VIII after converting from Calvinism shared the young Josaphat's passion to work for reunion with Rome. The two friends spent long hours making plans on how they could bring about that communion and reform monastic life.

The careers of the two friends parted physically when Josaphat was sent to found new houses in Rome and Rutsky was first made abbot at Vilna. Josaphat replaced Rutsky as abbot when Rutsky became metropolitan of Kiev. Josaphat immediately put into practice his early plans of reform. Because his plans tended to reflect his own extremely austere ascetic tendencies, he was not always met with joy. One community threatened to throw him into the river until his general compassion and his convincing words won them over to a few changes.

Josaphat faced even more problems when he became first bishop of Vitebsk and then Polotsk in 1617. The church there was literally and figuratively in ruins with buildings falling apart, clergy marrying two or three times, and monks and clergy everywhere not really interested in pastoral care or model Christian living. Within three years, Josaphat had rebuilt the church by holding synods, publishing a catechism to be used all over, and enforcing rules of conduct for clergy. But his most compelling argument was his own life which he spent preaching, instructing others in the faith, visiting the needy of the towns.

But despite all his work and the respect he had, the Orthodox separatists found fertile ground with they set up their own bishops in the exact same area. Meletius Smotritsky was named his rival archbishop of Polotsk. It must have hurt Josaphat to see the people he had served so faithfully break into riots when the King of Poland declared Josaphat the only legitimate archbishop. His former diocese of Vitebsk turned completely against the reunion and him along with two other cities.

But what probably hurt even more was that the very Catholics he looked to for communion opposed him as well. Catholics who should have been his support didn't like the way he insisted on the use of the Byzantine rite instead of the Roman rite. Out of fear or ignorance, Leo Sapiah, chancellor of Lithuania, chose to believe stories that Josaphat was inciting the people to violence and instead of coming to his aid, condemned him. Actually, his only act of force was when the separatists took over the church at Mogilev, and he asked the civil power to help him return it to his authority.

In October 1623, Josaphat decided to return to Vitebsk to try to calm the troubles himself. He was completely aware of the danger but said, "If I am counted worthy of martyrdom, then I am not afraid to die."

The separatists saw their chance to get rid of Josaphat and discredit him if they could only stir Josaphat's party to strike the first blow. Then they would have an excuse to strike back. Their threats were so public that Josaphat preached on the gospel verse John 16:2, "Indeed, an hour is coming when those who kill you will think that by doing so they are offering worship to God." He told the people, "You people want to kill me. You wait in ambush for me in the streets, on the bridges, on the highways, in the marketplace, everywhere. Here I am; I came to you as a shepherd. You know I would be happy to give my life for you. I am ready to die for union of the Church under St. Peter and his successor the Pope."

But aside from words, Josaphat insisted that his party not react in any way that did not show patience and forbearance. When the separatists saw that they were not getting the violent response they had hoped for, they decided to wear Josaphat and the others down as they plotted more direct action. A priest named Elias went to the house where everyone was staying and shouted insults and threats to everyone, he saw, focusing on calumniating Josaphat and the Church of Rome.

Josaphat knew of the plot against him and spent his day in prayer. In the evening he had a long conversation with a beggar he had invited in off the streets.

When Elias was back the next morning of November 12, the servants were at their wits' ends and begged Josaphat's permission to do something. Before he went off to say his office he told them they could lock Elias away if he caused trouble again. When he returned to the house, he found that the servants had done just that and Josaphat let Elias out of the room.

But it was too late. The mistake had been made. Elias had not been hurt in anyway but as soon as the mob saw that Elias had been locked up, they rejoiced in the excuse they had been waiting for. Bells were rung and mobs descended on the house. By the time they reached the house, Elias had been released but the mob didn't care; they wanted the blood they had been denied for so long.

Josaphat came out in the courtyard to see the mob beating and trampling his friends and servants. He cried out, "My children what are you doing with my servants? If you have anything against me, here I am, but leave them alone!" With shouts of "Kill the papist" Josaphat was hit with a stick, then an axe, and finally shot through the head. His bloody body was dragged to the river and thrown in, along with the body of a dog who had tried to protect him.

The unsung heroes of this horrible terrorism were the Jewish people of Vitebsk. Some of the Jewish people risked their own lives to rush into the courtyard and rescue Josaphat's friends and servants from the bloodthirsty mobs. Through their courage, lives were saved. These same Jewish people were the only ones to publicly accuse the killers and mourn the death of Josaphat while the Catholics of the city hid in fear of their lives.

As usual violence had the opposite effect from that intended. Regret and horror at how far the violence had gone and the loss of their archbishop swung public opinion over toward the Catholics and unity. Eventually even Archbishop Meletius Smotritsky, Josaphat's rival, was reconciled with Rome. And in 1867 Josaphat became the first saint of the Eastern church to be formally canonized by Rome.