Peruvian Catholics in US rejoice in 'Papa León,' Peru's beloved adopted son

(OSV News) -- Following Pope Leo XIV's election, more details have come to light about his family, his religious formation with the Augustinians, and his ministry in Peru for almost 20 years, where he held different positions that all had a common thread: service and defense of the most vulnerable people were and continue to be his mission.

Peruvian Catholics living in different cities of the United States, shared with OSV News how they experienced the moment when Papa León appeared on the balcony of St. Peter's Basilica and what they hope for the papacy from a pontiff with deep roots in their homeland.

"When I got home, I was crying with emotion … because imagine! A pope who loves your country so much! And that he mentioned it in his speech," said Rocío Baracco, who was born in Lima, Peru, and lives in Falls Church, Virginia.

She was referring to the pope's greeting to Peru's Diocese of Chiclayo, where he served as bishop for almost 10 years, calling its faithful a community that "has given so much, so much to continue to be a faithful Church of Jesus Christ."

Baracco, who has lived in the U.S. since 2007, had been a catechist at St. James Church in Falls Church, Virginia, until the COVID-19 pandemic. She told OSV News that the conclave results took her by surprise, amid conflicting rumors.

"On social media, some said he was Peruvian, and others said he was American," said Baracco, who realized both versions were true, since the Chicago-born pope holds dual citizenship.

"He chose to have Peruvian nationality and worked for a long time in Peru, spending most of his religious life there serving those most in need," she said, adding she still feels surprise and pride as she follows the early days of Pope Leo.

After the election, she added, many Peruvians have learned more about the ministry of Robert Francis Prevost: the priest, the bishop, the cardinal, and now the highest representative of the Catholic Church.

She said she hopes that Pope Leo "continues walking with the people and working for those most in need." Baracco added that she hopes he will be the voice of migrants amid the present anti-immigrant climate in the U.S. She said she also expected the fruit of his election will be to evangelize and inspire new conversions, especially among young people, and that many Catholics who have strayed from the church will find sufficient reasons to return and be witnesses of renewed faith.

For Iluminada Vilca, who was born in Lima and has lived in the U.S. for 15 years, it was a joyful surprise to learn that the new pope had served in her grandmother's hometown.

"I didn't know much about him, and I started researching. I was surprised to learn that he became a Peruvian citizen in 2015, and he was Bishop of Chiclayo, and my grandmother is from Chiclayo!" said Vilca, who lives in Rochester, New York, where she teaches nutrition to families with low incomes.

It was in 2014 that Pope Francis appointed then-Father Prevost as apostolic administrator of the Diocese of Chiclayo. In September of 2015, he was named bishop of the northern diocese -- where his parishioners remember him fondly for prioritizing the poor, bringing the church closer to the people and embracing his adopted country -- until he was named prefect of the Vatican's Dicastery for Bishops in 2023.

Vilca's parents live in Lima, but thanks to her grandmother, she has relatives in Chiclayo. From the moment they learned of the election of Pope Leo XIV, they have been "very excited," a feeling shared by Peruvians who recognize that the current pontiff formed much of his pastoral character there.

Vilca said she hopes that the new Bishop of Rome "will listen to the Holy Spirit, follow the teachings of our church, and remain steadfast. We need a strong pope, a pope who is faithful to Christ," she said.

For his part, Father Bruno Mauricci, pastor of Our Lady of the Valley in Pahrump, Nevada, also shared his impressions about the new pope, whom he briefly met in Peru. Father Mauricci was born in Piura, a Peruvian state near Ecuador, and was ordained a priest in 1990 for the Diocese of Chimbote, in the country's north.

Father Bruno Mauricci, who has lived in the U.S. for 32 years, told OSV News that he had prayed especially for the conclave and shared a post from the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops on his Facebook page about the cardinal electors from the U.S.

"Robert Prevost was included, and I remembered him because I met him briefly a couple of times when I visited the Seminary in Trujillo, where I studied philosophy. But I was not fortunate enough to have him as a professor," he said. The priest has recently spoken with religious friends who studied under the now Pope Leo during the 11 years he devoted to teaching canon, patristic and moral law at the San Carlos y San Marcelo Major Seminary in the Trujillo Archdiocese.

"The impression he gave me was that he was a very kind, very holy man -- one of those who are very calm and smiling, who inspires peace. A very cultured, educated and always kind man, who is very friendly and close to everyone," Father Mauricci said.

For the priest, Pope Leo had a vast vision of the world. "He was a missionary in Peru, a professor at the seminary, head of the ecclesiastical court in Trujillo, and parish priest assisting two poor parishes in marginalized areas of Trujillo. He brings a wealth of experience," he said, highlighting the pope's 12 years as superior general of the Augustinians.

Meanwhile, in Los Angeles -- as in Nevada and other parts of the country -- the local Peruvian community celebrated the election of the new pontiff with great joy and hope. Many faithful attended a Mass May 9 at the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels to give thanks for the election of the new pope.

Among them was Ivonne Castro, who wasn't just there as a supporter; she had spent time with Pope Leo when he was a bishop in Peru.

"I felt that he was going to become a pope," Castro told Angelus, the news outlet of the Archdiocese of Los Angeles, as she described watching the conclave on TV.

Castro's father was very involved in the local church in Chiclayo, and she attended Mass often at the cathedral and enjoyed then-Bishop Prevost's homilies. She even has a photo from when she asked the bishop for a special blessing after her son was born.

"I had that feeling. I was waiting for that name, and when I heard the name, I couldn't believe it. I needed to hear twice or three times that the name was there, and it was amazing," she said.

Now that the man she knew before is pope, she still feels the familiarity of his presence. "I have the confidence that he's a good leader for our church. He's the leader that the church needs at this moment," she said.

That sentiment is widespread even among those who are learning about his ministry. Faithful from Paterson, New Jersey -- one of the places with the highest concentration of Peruvians outside the country -- shared their impressions with The Beacon, the news and information media of the Diocese of Paterson.

"When I saw the Pope leave, I knelt down and said: God has sent you because we need unity," said Martha Anci, president of Young People of the Future of New Jersey. For her, this new time is an opportunity for the youth to feel part of the church again.

The Diocese of Paterson celebrated the election of Pope Leo with two Masses of thanksgiving on May 14 at the Cathedral of St. John the Baptist -- a bilingual Mass celebrated by Bishop Kevin J. Sweeney at 12:30 p.m. and a Spanish Mass at 7:00 p.m. celebrated by Msgr. Geno Sylva, the cathedral's rector. This Mass brought together faithful from different parishes and many nationalities, especially the Peruvian community, represented by the Hermandad del Señor de los Milagros of Paterson (the Fraternity of the Lord of Miracles).

Jesús López, president of the Catholic organization, told The Beacon that he prays that the Pope has a long and blessed life. Cecilia Centurión, also a member of the Hermandad, stressed the importance of praying for his mission and the leadership he will exercise throughout the church.

In Minnesota's Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis, Sister Fabiola Valdeiglesias and Sister Leann Luecke -- who belong to Pro Ecclesia Sancta, an institute of consecrated life that was founded in Peru -- also welcomed the news of Pope Leo's election.

"You feel a little orphaned when you are in that time without a pope, and when they announce that there is white smoke, you don't even know who is going to come out, and you are happy," said Sister Fabiola, originally from Peru, who recalls the euphoria of those present in St. Peter's Square on May 8. "That is a reminder, for me and I think for everyone, that it is really that Petrine ministry that makes us feel part of the church."

Sister Leann, born in Iowa, served in Peru for three and a half years and was in Chiclayo for four months. During this time, she told OSV News, she learned about the culture and traditions and experienced the joy of the people. For her, "God's providence is always at work, and above all in that the majority needed to elect the pope came out so quickly in the voting."

"I trust that he will follow God's providence," Sister Leann said, "that his grace will guide him where the church needs to go and that it will be the best thing for us now in this new stage of the church."