From Peru to the Vatican, the rise of 'Monseñor Roberto de Chiclayo,' now Leo XIV
The fourth mass of the morning ended at 11 am on Sunday, May 25, in the packed cathedral, yet the fervor of the faithful did not wane. A line formed in front of the confessional. Believers whispered prayers to Christ on the cross, to the right of the entrance, or to the Virgin Mary, to the left. In Chiclayo, a city in northern Peru where Pope Leo XIV served as bishop for eight years from late 2014 to early 2023, Catholic faith is lived in devotion and, every day of the week, the churches fill with men and women, young and old. In Saint-Mary Cathedral, eight masses are celebrated on Sundays and five on other days.
Outside, on the steps leading down to the Plaza de Armas, the pride of being the diocese of Bishop Prevost – the community to which, upon becoming pope, he paid tribute from the loggia of Saint Peter's Basilica in Rome on May 8 – was palpable. Isaias, a seminarian in a white robe collecting donations to fund the studies of the 32 future priests at the Santo Toribio de Mogrovejo seminary, recalled the joy of his fellow seminarians when the identity of the new pontiff was announced. The video capturing that moment made the rounds on cell phones, like so many others immortalizing this surge of collective pride in a country beset by drug trafficking-related crime, high levels of poverty and an ongoing political crisis.
In Chiclayo, a city of 600,000 residents, of which two former mayors are in prison for corruption or influence peddling, the municipal team took the opportunity to try to restore its image. A cardboard effigy of the man known here as "Monseñor Roberto" was placed on the balcony of the city hall, blessing the square. Inside the building, a small photo exhibit showed the bishop on horseback visiting villagers in the highlands, the bishop in boots standing beside flood victims, the bishop blessing oxygen generators during the Covid-19 pandemic.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
LeMonde
16 hours ago
- LeMonde
From Peru to the Vatican, the rise of 'Monseñor Roberto de Chiclayo,' now Leo XIV
The fourth mass of the morning ended at 11 am on Sunday, May 25, in the packed cathedral, yet the fervor of the faithful did not wane. A line formed in front of the confessional. Believers whispered prayers to Christ on the cross, to the right of the entrance, or to the Virgin Mary, to the left. In Chiclayo, a city in northern Peru where Pope Leo XIV served as bishop for eight years from late 2014 to early 2023, Catholic faith is lived in devotion and, every day of the week, the churches fill with men and women, young and old. In Saint-Mary Cathedral, eight masses are celebrated on Sundays and five on other days. Outside, on the steps leading down to the Plaza de Armas, the pride of being the diocese of Bishop Prevost – the community to which, upon becoming pope, he paid tribute from the loggia of Saint Peter's Basilica in Rome on May 8 – was palpable. Isaias, a seminarian in a white robe collecting donations to fund the studies of the 32 future priests at the Santo Toribio de Mogrovejo seminary, recalled the joy of his fellow seminarians when the identity of the new pontiff was announced. The video capturing that moment made the rounds on cell phones, like so many others immortalizing this surge of collective pride in a country beset by drug trafficking-related crime, high levels of poverty and an ongoing political crisis. In Chiclayo, a city of 600,000 residents, of which two former mayors are in prison for corruption or influence peddling, the municipal team took the opportunity to try to restore its image. A cardboard effigy of the man known here as "Monseñor Roberto" was placed on the balcony of the city hall, blessing the square. Inside the building, a small photo exhibit showed the bishop on horseback visiting villagers in the highlands, the bishop in boots standing beside flood victims, the bishop blessing oxygen generators during the Covid-19 pandemic.
LeMonde
a day ago
- LeMonde
Conservative backlash targets new Socialist and lesbian head of French Catholic scouts organization
For weeks, board members of France's Scouts and Guides reviewed candidates to find the best person to serve as the organization's next president. Marine Rosset, who was elected with 22 out of 24 votes on Saturday, June 14, appeared to fit the profile perfectly. A well-known figure within the 100,000-member movement, having served as a board member since 2019 and as its vice president since 2022, Rosset, a former history-geography teacher in the northern Paris suburbs of Seine-Saint-Denis and a local elected official, was expected to embody "continuity." However, it would seem some Catholics didn't see it that way. Criticism quickly followed, especially from far-right sites such as Salon Beige, Boulevard Voltaire and Frontières. These published articles arguing that Rosset's political background and personal life were incompatible with the presidency of the Scouts and Guides, a Catholic organization.
LeMonde
2 days ago
- LeMonde
Paris extends summer bar and restaurant terrace hours, angering noise-weary neighbors
When it comes into effect on Saturday evening, the change will likely go unnoticed amid the general hullabaloo of the Fête de la Musique, the nationwide celebration of music that takes place every year on June 21. However, from that day through to September 14, around 4,000 summer terraces in Paris will be allowed to stay open to the public until 11 pm, an hour later than the standard 10 pm closing time. Since the crisis triggered by the Covid-19 epidemic, restaurateurs in the French capital have been eligible for permits to expand their terraces onto sidewalks or parking spaces between April 1 and October 31. In the intervening years, the temporary terraces have become the subject of heated tensions between Paris City Hall, eager to boost the restaurant sector, and local residents, frustrated by noise disturbances, who have the support of opposition politicians. City Hall's announcement of the extended hours on June 5 drew a quick response from neighborhood associations around the city, especially from the dynamic 10 th, 11 th and 18 th arrondissements, in the northeast. They issued a joint statement denouncing "lies" by Paris City Hall to justify its decision. Among other things, they criticized a lack of dialogue with city authorities, a recurring complaint among such groups, whose real representativeness is difficult to measure.
