Pope Leo's former Peru town gains global attention
Chiclayo, Peru --- It is a long way from the South Side of Chicago to the heart of Chiclayo in Northern Peru.
But it was a simple phrase, spoken on a balcony in the Vatican by the first American pope, that has turned Chiclayo into a sensation.
"A greeting to everyone, and in particular to my beloved Diocese of Chiclayo, in Peru, where a faithful people has accompanied its bishop, shared its faith and given so much, so much, to continue being a faithful church of Jesus Christ.," Pope Leo XIV said from the balcony of St. Peter's Basilica on May 8 after being chosen by the cardinal electors in the papal enclave to succeed Pope Francis.
Leo, a Chicago native who turned 70 on Sunday, is also a citizen of Peru, where he served for more than two decades, first as a missionary. He then ran an Augustinian seminary in Trujillo, and in 2014, he was appointed apostolic administrator of the Diocese of Chiclayo. In 2015, he became a bishop in Chiclayo, and he was made a cardinal there in 2023.
Rev. Fidel Purisaca Vigil, a spokesperson for the Diocese of Chiclayo, recalls the local reaction to Leo's statement on the balcony.
"Some cried, we laughed and remembered all of those gracious moments he spent with us here in Chiclayo," Purisaca told CBS News.
On that day in early May, when then-Cardinal Robert Prevost ascended to the throne of St. Peter, Chiclayo was lifted as well, becoming an instant tourist attraction.
City officials said the election of Leo touched off a pilgrimage here by Catholics from all over the world.
It has also been a blessing for the economy. The tourism brought on by it could give Chiclayo an estimated annual boost of $40 million, city officials say.
Restaurants, hotels and tour companies are scrambling to meet the demand.
"Really, we're going to have a lot of work with everybody, with hotels, tour operators, restaurants, with the tour guides," Maria Isabel Espinal, who runs a local tourism agency, told CBS News.
Like the Stations of the Cross, tourists retrace Leo's steps here, walking from church to church along his unique path to the papacy.
They even stop at his favorite lunch spot, served by none other than Leo's favorite waiter, Carlos.
"This is where the Pope would sit," Carlos showed CBS News, who added that he prays every day for his old friend, the new Pope.
Lilia Luciano is an award-winning journalist and CBS News 24/7 anchor and correspondent based in New York City. Luciano is the recipient of multiple journalism awards, including a Walter Cronkite Award, a regional Edward R. Murrow Award and five regional Emmys.
English (US) · 