‘The pope is Peruvian’: elation in country where pontiff served as bishop

<p>Leo XIV celebrated as second Latin American pope having spent many years in Peru’s church</p><ul><li><a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/live/2025/may/08/new-pope-conclave-vatican-white-black-smoke-papacy-catholic-cardinals">Pope Leo XIV – live updates</a></li></ul><p>The <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2025/may/08/white-smoke-signals-election-of-new-roman-catholic-pope">election of Pope Leo XIV</a> has been celebrated across Latin America, where many hailed him as the second pontiff from the region, after his Argentinian predecessor, <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/pope-francis">Francis</a>.</p><p>The news prompted particular elation in <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/peru">Peru</a>, where he lived and worked for more than 20 years and was granted citizenship in 2015. In the capital, Lima, the bells of the cathedral rang in celebration. <br /><br />
In his first appearance from the Vatican balcony, Leo XIV briefly switched from Italian to Spanish to address the faithful “from my beloved diocese of Chiclayo, in Peru”, where he served as bishop for more than a decade.</p> <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2025/may/08/pope-leo-xiv-peru-latin-america">Continue reading...</a>