January 23, 2018

On Sunday, January 21, Pope Francis (Papa Francisco in Spanish) departed Lima, Peru, concluding an apostolic journey that began in Santiago, Chile, on January 15. Apostolic is another word for papal or having to do with the pope. Throughout the journey, enthusiastic crowds turned out to welcome the pope, who is particularly popular in the traditionally Roman Catholic nations of Latin America. Francis is from Argentina and has been leader of the Roman Catholic Church since 2013.

Pope Francis smiles and waves from the popemobile as he leaves the Señor de los Milagros Sanctuary in Lima, Peru, on Jan. 21, 2018. Credit: © Luka Gonzales, Getty Images

The Chile portion of the trip was themed “Mi paz les doy” (“I give you my peace”); the Peru theme was “Unidos por la esperanza” (“United by hope”). In both countries, the Pope addressed recent sexual abuse scandals in the Catholic Church. Francis also stressed the importance of protecting the environment, and discouraged the increasing tide of secularization (the removal of religion from people’s everyday lives). In Chile, the number of people calling themselves Catholics fell to 45 percent in 2017, a drop from 74 percent in 1995. In Peru, only about 5 percent of Catholics regularly attend weekly church services.

On Tuesday, January 16, Francis met with Chilean President Michelle Bachelet at La Moneda, the presidential palace in Santiago, the capital, and held an outdoor Mass at the city’s O’Higgins Park. The next day, the pope flew to the southern city of Temuco, where he celebrated Mass and lunched with indigenous Mapuche leaders before returning to Santiago. On January 18, Francis held a Mass at Lobito beach in the northern port city of Iquique before flying north to Lima, the Peruvian capital. On Friday, the pope met with indigenous leaders in the the southeastern Amazon city of Puerto Maldonado before returning to Lima, where he met with Peruvian President Pedro Pablo Kuczynski.

On Saturday, January 20, Francis flew to the northwestern coastal city of Trujillo for a Mass at Huanchaco beach and a city tour in the popemobile. In Trujillo’s Plaza de Armas, he hosted a celebration of Our Lady of La Puerta and delivered a speech before returning to Lima. On Sunday, January 21, the pope met with local dignitaries at Lima Cathedral and the Archbishop’s Palace. After a Mass before more than 1 million people at Las Palmas Air Base, Francis boarded a plane and returned to the Vatican in Rome.

Francis is the first pope from Latin America and the first Jesuit pope. Jesuits are members of a religious order called the Society of Jesus. Francis is known for his commitment to social justice, especially for the poor; his humble lifestyle; and his conservative religious beliefs. This was his sixth visit to Latin America since becoming pope. His previous stops were in Brazil; Bolivia, Ecuador, and Paraguay; Cuba; Mexico; and Colombia. The last pope to visit Chile and Peru was St. John Paul II, who made trips to Peru in 1985 and 1988 and to Chile in 1987.