An estimated three million people lined the streets of Lima to welcome Pope Leo XIV as he returned to the country he served for more than two decades.
As the Holy Father made his way from the Callao Air Base to the Palacio de Gobierno to visit the President of Peru, the streets were lined with millions of people as they attempted to get a glimpse of the Pontiff.
The estimated three million people eclipsed the estimated 2.5 million who came out to see the Pope in Argentina just days earlier, making it the largest crowd of his pontificate.
On Thursday evening, while meeting with authorities and members of the diplomatic corps, said he felt he had returned home after several years living in Rome.
“This return visit holds a very special meaning for me,” he said. “For many years, I shared in the lives of its people, listened to their concerns and learned from their faith.
“Today I understand how much of this land remains with me and how much of my own story also belongs to you.”
Following dinner at the Apostolic Nunciature on Wednesday night, Pope Leo XIV greeted the faithful who were waiting outside, declaring: “I have returned home. Here I am at home.”
On Thursday, he met with bishops, priests, consecrated men and women, seminarians, synodal teams, and pastoral councils in Lima, celebrating Daytime Prayer with them.
On Friday, the Holy Father will return to Chiclayo, where he served as Bishop from 2015 to 2023. He will celebrate Mass at the open space near the Pampas de Pimentel before meeting with the priests of the Diocese who he shepherded for many years.
He will remain in Chiclayo until Sunday, making day trips to other locations, before returning to Lima on Sunday morning and flying back to Rome on Monday afternoon.
