Yo, so get this, Chicago-born Cardinal Robert Prevost got elected Thursday by the conclave to be the pope. He’s now Pope Leo XIV at the age of 69. Crazy, right?
Prevost, this missionary dude, spent his whole career ministering in Peru and running the Vatican’s big-shot bishops’ office. And get this, he’s the first American pope in like, 2,000 years of Catholic Church history.
When he got elected, the spotlight was all on Chiclayo, the city where he lived for almost a decade. Chiclayo is all about history and nature, yo. It’s like, 9 miles from the ocean and is the capital of the Department of Lambayeque. Pretty small city, only like 800,000 peeps, but it’s a big deal for Peru’s northern coast thanks to all the highways connecting it to the Andes and the Amazon. Plus, the land there is super productive.
Tourists love Chiclayo, man. Beautiful beaches, cool architecture, and tons of history. The Laquipampa Wildlife Refuge is a big deal there, home to tons of plants and animals native to the area. There’s even jaguarundi pumas there. And then you got Sipán, Huaca Rajada, this ancient archaeological site dating back to 250 AD. People go wild over the tomb of the Lord of Sipán, some old ruler from the 3rd century. Oh, and don’t forget about the Lost Inca Lagoon, found in 2003 near the Inca Trail.
But Chiclayo ain’t all sunshine and rainbows, man. Like, 20% of the peeps there are living in poverty. It’s a rough spot despite all its beauty.
Leo XIV, aka Prevost, was the bishop of Chiclayo. He did his thing there, helping out the peeps in need and all that jazz. The Diocese of Chiclayo was created back in 1956 by Pope Pius XII. It’s got 48 parishes and two pastoral sectors spread out among five zones.
Now, in Chiclayo, everybody knows Leo XIV, man. He was out there walking the streets, chilling in the villages, you name it. Waiters, cab drivers, and Catholic faithful all got stories about him. Dude even sang “Feliz Navidad” at a youth gathering back in 2017. How cool is that?
He didn’t just hang in Chiclayo, though. Dude left his mark in Chulucanas too, another city where he worked. Peeps there remember him fondly. It’s like he’s everyone’s godfather or something.
Leo XIV didn’t forget his roots, man. In his first speech as pope, he shouted out Chiclayo in Spanish, showing love to the peeps who supported him.
When the floods hit in 2022 and 2023, Leo XIV was out there helping out, driving supplies to the villages along the La Leche River. The man even walked through the floods with his cross necklace, doing what he could to help.
Leo XIV wasn’t just about talk, man. He got stuff done. Like during the pandemic, he helped get not one, but two oxygen plants for the peeps in need. Dude was out there driving trucks, crossing rivers, and helping out the Quechua-speaking villages like Incahuasi.
Leo XIV ain’t your typical pope, man. He’s out there in the trenches, getting his hands dirty. Chiclayo and Peru won’t be forgetting him anytime soon.
