Half a million Peruvians turned out to greet Pope Leo XIV when he arrived in Cusco, the ancient capital of the Inca Empire, on the morning of Nov. 15, the tenth day of his marathon journey to Latin America. Another 100,000 people joined him at a prayer service in the city’s most famous park where he reaffirmed the church’s care for indigenous peoples and the importance of popular piety.
Cusco, in southeastern Peru, is the largest city in the Peruvian Andes and stands at an altitude of 3,400 meters (11,200 feet). It was conquered by the Spanish in the 16th century when the Spanish built palaces, churches and monasteries on top of the former Inca institutions and buildings.
Today Cusco has a population of more than 500,000 people and, given the size of the crowds, it appeared as if every one of them had come out in the streets to welcome Pope Leo. They had decorated their city with banners at almost every corner saying “Benvenida Papa León!,” and with banners or posters featuring his photo and asking for his blessing; the crowd cheered and shouted “León, León” everywhere he passed.
Some 64 percent of the population here belong to the indigenous peoples, almost all of them Quechua, like the Augustinian Archbishop Lizardo Estrada Herrera, who succeeded Archbishop Richard Daniel Alarcón Urrutia, who died on Oct, 30 after a long illness. Archbishop Estrada Herrera welcomed Pope Leo, his fellow Augustinian and friend on his arrival here.
Leo had driven here some five miles from the airport to the park of Sacsayhuaman, an archeological site dating back to the 1400s. Accompanied by the new archbishop, Pope Leo, with a big smile on his face, took his place on a platform covered by a canopy overlooking this whole park.
Pope Leo knows Cusco well the archbishop told America in an interview before the papal visit: “Father Robert had been visiting Cusco since his time as a formator for the order in Peru, when he was based in Trujillo. He was also here in 2021, when I was ordained auxiliary bishop of Cusco, and for the Mass of the Lord of the Earthquakes (Señor de los Temblores).”
Leo came to this park to participate in a prayer service, including a reading of the Gospel story of the Annunciation, the pope’s homily, the placing of a golden rose at the foot of the statue of the Virgin Mary, and the singing of the Salve Regina.
After the reading of the Gospel, Leo began his homily by remembering the late archbishop who, he said, “had worked so hard to make this journey possible and whom I had hoped to meet upon my arrival here,” but instead he now prayed that Jesus “will grant him the reward of the righteous.”
Leo admired “the beauty” of Saqsaywaman that “rises toward the Andean sky like a stone altar, where the ancients climbed in search of the divine” but added “our Christian faith has allowed us to understand that, in reality, it is God who descends in search of his sons and daughters.”
He reminded those present that “God enters a willing heart, asking for a courageous and simple ‘yes,’ like that of the Virgin Mary, who changed the course of history forever.” She is “the one who leads us to an encounter with Christ,” he said.
He recalled that “the Lord came to speak to her in her home in Nazareth…in her own language and through the signs of her culture” because “this is how God acts. He seeks out the most appropriate ways and moments to draw near to us, so that we may all encounter him, understand his words, be converted, and be saved.”
Over the course of the millennia, Leo said, “this mystery has been renewed in the most diverse contexts, yet always with the Almighty’s same willingness to make himself small for us, to speak to us and embrace us. One of the most beautiful ways this has happened is through popular piety”
It is through popular piety, he said, that “the memory of ancestors, the faith of families, love for Jesus Christ, trust in his Blessed Mother and veneration of the saints are expressed through music, dance, images and many other expressions typical of the history and identity of peoples.”
He said expressions of popular piety such as “a religious festival, a pilgrimage or a procession…are not merely cultural expressions” because “behind every image, song, promise and sign there is a community of hearts seeking God and a friendly voice that responds from heaven and draws near.”
Pope Leo said, “It is, therefore, a matter of living out the traditional practices as opportunities for encounter and for proclaiming the Lord, first and foremost in parishes, confraternities and movements.”
He told those present, and especially the representatives of the popular piety in Peru that “we are to reach out to the world and are sent to proclaim the risen Christ, ready to bear witness to the joy of knowing the Gospel and living it out in love for God and neighbor.” He recalled that Pope Francis defined popular piety as “a true expression of the spontaneous missionary activity of the people of God.”
In his homily, the Augustinian pope focused on “the communal context in which the mystery of the Annunciation takes place” and said “Mary matures in faith by living in a community, and after the Annunciation, she continues to share daily life with her brothers and sisters. Her encounter with God does not isolate her or distance her from others. On the contrary, it makes her the guardian of a gift that grows within her for the good of all, including her fellow citizens and all of humanity.”
He emphasized that “faith does not separate; rather, it unites us to God and to one another.” It is important to understand this, he said, “especially in an age like ours, which is marked by divisions, wounds, mistrust and situations that make it difficult for men and women to recognize one another as members of the same family, sons and daughters of the same Father.”
In this context, he underlined that “religious traditions can be of great help, serving as places where people can come together in the light of faith and love. A procession can make people with different views walk together. A pilgrimage can reunite entire families. A celebration can bring a community together. A patron saint’s festival can become an opportunity to reconcile, ask for forgiveness and start anew. “
He presented this as something—a sign—“that can extend far beyond the boundaries of a small town or region, helping to spread a culture of coexistence, mutual care and peace throughout the world.”
He invited the representatives of popular piety “to make these festivals a school of fraternity and charity, where you work, pray and have fun together—and also care for those in need—so that everyone can be joyful and united before God.”
Like Pope Francis before him, so too Pope Leo emphasized that “popular traditions, with their symbols and dynamics, imbued with values of Christian communion and solidarity, are an invaluable treasure trove of good teachings, especially for the younger generations.”
It is important to involve young people in popular piety, he said, and for them “to participate in these activities and for their contributions to be welcomed and valued through listening, cooperation and, when necessary, adaptation to the times.”
He reminded the clergy and the representatives of popular piety that “the future of these traditions lies not only in preserving what has been handed down, but also in passing it on in a living way.” He explained that “each generation receives a legacy and has the responsibility to pass it on enriched and renewed, without fear of opening new paths and using new tools.”
Pope Leo emphasized the importance of formation in this field “by introducing young people to and deepening their understanding of the history of salvation and the lives of the saints, explaining to them the Christian meaning of festive occasions, sharing the word of God with them and teaching them to celebrate the faith in the church.”
He said the aim is “to transmit, through traditions, a living experience of the Christian life, which constantly grows and is renewed around the altar, where the Eucharist is the center and source of existence.”
He recalled that “popular devotion in Peru is also profoundly Marian,” where she is revered under various titles, and said this is beautifully expressed in the hymn “Hanacpachap cussicuinin,” by the missionary Juan Pérez Bocanegra. He told them, “every devotion finds its meaning when it brings everyone together around Jesus and, following in his footsteps, leads them to heaven.”
He concluded by entrusting “a path of renewal for popular devotion to the Virgin Mary, Queen of Bethlehem, Mother and Protector of Cusco,” and venerated her with the golden rose “asking her to keep us in her heart, to grant peace to this land, to give strength to those who suffer and to bestow upon all of us the grace to walk together in the love of her Son.”
Afterwards in Plaza di Armas, he told more than 10,000 gathered in this city’s main square, “It is a great joy for me to be here today, surrounded by your affection and lively faith that beats within this beautiful community, alongside our sick and elderly brothers and sisters, and the priests and consecrated men and women.”
He spoke about God’s love for them then had words of comfort for “our brothers and sisters who are suffering in body and soul because of illness.” He told them, “In the eyes of the world—shaped by a throwaway culture and material productivity—illness is seen as a misfortune that diminishes a person’s worth. What a great lie!”
Ht reminded them that “In the light of the Gospel, when lived with faith and united to the mystery of Christ’s Passion, illness is a path to growing in his love and sharing it” and he told the sick, “You are at the heart of the Church, for your suffering, when offered with love for the salvation of souls, for vocations and for peace, becomes a source of spiritual strength. Your weakness is transformed into divine strength that multiplies the gifts of love and redemption. You have been witnesses to the self-offering made by Archbishop Richard, who united his life to the Lord’s Cross.”
Then drawing attention to image of “the Lord of the Earthquakes,” visible on the platform where he stood in front of the cathedral, Pope Leo recalled that “In the year 1650, when the earth shook, sowing destruction and panic among your ancestors, it was enough for the sacred image to be carried out into the streets for the aftershocks to cease and peace to reign once more.” Since then, he said, “the people of Cusco and all of Peru have known that in the Taytacha [as the Lord of the Earthquakes is known] they have a safe haven from any storm, an unshakable anchor amid the tremors of history.”
Then, to express his closeness to the community here in Cusco, he performed what he called “a special act of devotion: With filial love, I offer this shroud to be placed over this image of the Lord Jesus. It is meant to be the pope’s caress for a people who know how to suffer with dignity and Christian hope.” He told them, “as you behold the Lord of the Earthquakes clothed in this shroud, remember that the universal church is with you.”
He then recited the Angelus with them, and imparted his blessing and said, “may the Lord of the Earthquakes always keep your lives in peace.”
From the cathedral, he drove to the airport and boarded the plane for the 90 minute flight that will take him to his next stop, the city of Pucallpa in the Amazonian rainforest.
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