Pope Leo XIV visits the St. Oscar Romero Chapel in Chiclayo, Peru
By Deborah Castellano Lubov
"How beautiful it is, truly, and what a blessing from God, to be here with you. I am deeply grateful to God."
Pope Leo XIV expressed this to those present during a private visit on Friday to the St. Oscar Romero Chapel in Peru's northwestern city of Chiclayo, where Pope Leo served as Bishop from 2015 to 2023, thanking them for their efforts that made "the dream of a new chapel dedicated here to Saint Óscar Romero a reality."
The Holy Father also thanked the entire community for their prayers for his health.
"As you know, it was only a month ago that I had to undergo surgery, and God, through His grace, has been wonderful."
"I know," Pope Leo added, "that your prayers, together with those of so many other people, have helped greatly in allowing me, your servant, to recover and to be here today among you. Thank you very much."
The Holy Father focused his remarks on how Jesus came to bring us salvation and how we are called to share God's love and participate in His mission.
While "Jesus Christ came to bring us salvation, and He gave His life, even dying on the Cross, so that we might attain salvation and eternal life," Pope Leo said, "He invites us all to enter into the experience of being part of His Church, to be brothers and sisters, all united in the Church, in order to continue the mission that Jesus began, but which He wants us to carry on."
He said that the Lord calls all of us who are baptized, each according to our own vocation—bishops, priests, consecrated men and women, and lay faithful alike—to participate together in the communion that is the Church.
Accordingly, Pope Leo said that all the faithful are called "to proclaim the Good News, to share our faith, and to keep passing it on to one another, from generation to generation, among neighbors and family members; in other words, to share the love of God, this wonderful news that Jesus always walks with us."
The Holy Father emphasized how much he had wanted to make the brief visit, and that his presence at the chapel is "a sign of this closeness, of this desire to build community and to collaborate, to cooperate always, working together to continue the mission of the Church."
Reminding those present that Jesus Christ is always with them, Pope Leo invited those present to join him in praying the Our Father.
St. Oscar Arnulfo Romero, the Salvadoran Archbishop who was assassinated while celebrating Mass in 1980, is remembered as an example of fidelity to Christ, the Church, and the poor.
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