Peru Catholic Church expects papal visit in late 2026

LIMA, Peru - Pope Leo XIV is expected to visit Peru, where he worked for more than 20 years as a missionary, by the end of 2026, the country's Episcopal Conference said Wednesday.

Leo, who has had Peruvian nationality since 2015, is the first US-born cardinal to become leader of the world's 1.4 billion Catholics.

"The Pope has expressed how much he wants to visit Peru, because he loves Peru, and he told us clearly that it's very likely to be in November, at most the first week of December," conference president Monsignor Carlos Garcia told reporters in Lima.

The visit was "80 percent certain," he said, with logistics yet to be finalized.

Born Robert Francis Prevost, Leo joined the Augustinians in Peru in 1985 for the first of two long missions in the country that came to strongly mark his character, according to those who know him. — Agence France-Presse