Pope Leo XIV described as 'man with the smell of sheep' by Peru bishop
The current bishop of the Peruvian city of Chiclayo where polyglot Pope Leo XIV used to live and work has said he is certain the new head of the Catholic Church will continue in the footsteps of his predecessor and described him as a 'man with the smell of sheep.'
US-born Robert Prevost, an American who also has Peruvian nationality and did years of missionary work in the South American country, was appointed Bishop of Chiclayo on September 26th, 2015 by Pope Francis.
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He left the city in north-west Peru after being called to Rome in January 2023.
Chiclayo's current Bishop, Monsignor Edinson Edgardo Farfan Cordova, used the sheep analogy to describe the new Pope as a 'shepherd among people' in his glowing appraisal of the 69-year-old who is the 267th occupant of the throne of St Peter.
Reacting to the news of his election, he said: 'I am convinced Pope Leo XIV will continue the line of communion and closeness to the poor that marked the pontificate of Francis.
'I am certain the new Pope will give continuity to this work in his preferential option for the poor. He has been marked by the reality of our peripheries and by the synodal spirit promoted by Francis.
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Speaking after photos were published in Peruvian newspapers overnight showing Robert Prevost as a younger man on horseback during his time in the South American country, he added: 'There are photos of him crossing the Piura hills.
'He was a shepherd among people, a man with the smell of sheep.
'Leo XIV is not only a pope for the world, he is also a spiritual son of Peru, a shepherd who knows our mountains, our parishes, our hopes.'
Peru's president has described Pope Leo XIV as Peruvian 'by choice and conviction' despite the fact he was born in Chicago to a United States Navy World War II veteran of Italian and French descent and a mum who was the daughter of Louisiana Creole parents of African, French and Spanish descent.
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She said: 'He chose to be one of us, to live among us and to carry in his heart the faith, culture and dreams of this country' before adding: 'The pope is Peruvian; God loves Peru.'
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 nearly a decade.
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