00:03Hello, join us. We go live at this hour to Lima, Peru, with the latest activities of Pope Leo XIV
00:10in his second day visiting his second homeland, as he said, in his, as well, third leg in this 12
00:19-day apostolic journey through Latin America that has taken him through several countries in the South American region.
00:27We are speaking about first Uruguay, then Argentina, and now Peru. At this hour, people is receiving him at the
00:36heart of Lima, the capital of Peru, where he is set, as well, to hold a meeting with the bishops
00:44of Peru in the chapel of the archbishop's residence in Lima, where he is, as well, set to address the
00:54nation from that point.
00:57That centre religious venue. The Pope's visit to Peru is widely seen as a homecoming for a pontiff who is
01:08a Peruvian citizen and who knows the country in depth.
01:12And this visit, as well, is a recognition to his dedication to the poor, his defence of human rights that
01:24will continue to shape, to define his visit to the nation.
01:30In the past, the election of a U.S. Pope was considered impossible, given that the College of Cardinals did
01:39not wish to associate the papacy with a U.S. Western power.
01:45However, the Cardinals, who voted for Cardinal Robert Prevost in the 2025 conclave, did not see him simply as a
01:56candidate from the United States.
01:58His experience in Peru garnered, as well, broad consensus among the Cardinals who choose a bishop with roots in Latin
02:07America,
02:08someone, as well, who speaks Spanish fluently and is attuned to the concerns of the people of the continent.
02:15And that is precisely what we have been seeing in the past days of his apostolic journey through Latin America.
02:23He has been close, has been close and speaking to the heart of the most humble,
02:29the most vulnerable people in those nations that he has traveled through in the past week.
02:38Pope Leo XIV began a six-day visit to Peru, urging as well authorities to put human dignity,
02:48to put public safety and democratic dialogue at the centre of government policies.
02:56Addressing officials in Lima, the pontiff stressed that public service must start by listening to citizens
03:05and addressing their everyday concerns.
03:08He called for people to be able to work without fear, earn a decent living, access healthcare and return home
03:18safely.
03:18He also highlighted the contribution of farmers, workers, small business owners and Peruvian women.
03:27The Pope further urged authorities to combat violence against women and to ensure opportunities for their full participation in society.
03:38Precisely this visit and these statements that are advocating for women's rights
03:44came one week after the Peruvian Public Prosecutor's Office announced its steady decision to drop the investigation
03:52into the forced sterilization of 4,172 Peruvian women carried out during the 1990s dictatorship
04:04of former President Alberto Fujimori, the father of the incumbent President Keiko Fujimori.
04:11But the visit of Pope Leo XIV also carries a deeply personal meaning for Leo XIV who spent more than
04:22two decades
04:23as a missionary, as a bishop in Peru and also who became a citizen, a Peruvian citizen in 2015.
04:32He described the country as his second homeland and that happened a few moments after arriving to Lima
04:40and saying as well that its people and communities remain an essential part of its own story.
04:49We have been seeing images that have been spreading through social media of Pablo XIV even crying while greeting Peruvians,
05:00worshippers, pilgrims
05:02that came and gathering in the hundreds of thousands of them to greet him, to be close to him, to
05:10take pictures of him
05:11because this is also, it is more than a religious encounter, it is a comeback to the roots, comeback to
05:21the place that he calls his second home.
05:24And that is why we have been seeing that this is also a very emotional connection, the one that Pablo
05:34XIV has with the Peruvian people.
05:37It is almost like a national feast, his presence we are seeing as well through social media, millions of people
05:45that are as well proud of being close to him, proud of this visit of Pablo XIV.
05:51And that is why millions have taken to the streets in order to salute him, to be close to him
05:58and to listen to his statements.
06:00At this hour it is expected as well that your Holiness, Holy Father, Pablo XIV addresses the nation right from
06:10the chapel of the Archbishop's residence in Lima, Peru.
06:15We are seeing as well symbols of the Vatican City, to welcome the Bishop of Rome, now as the Bishop
06:23of Rome, Pope Leo XIV.
06:26This, as we have been informing, is a very personal journey, the one that Pope Leo XIV is undergoing there
06:34in Lima, because Peru holds a special place in Leo's heart.
06:39He shared its joys and hardships, learned so much from the faith of ordinary people, and experienced the strength of
06:48a church that knows how to preserve through trials.
06:52In light of this, one of the feelings accompanying his return, in Pope Leo XIV's own style, is a humble
07:01and also joyful gratitude for what he received during the years of his ministry in Peru, from everyone, especially the
07:12humblest members of the people of God.
07:15The Pope returns to Peru as Bishop of Rome, successor of Peter, and pastor of the Universal Church.
07:24This is a great gift for the many people who have known and loved him.
07:29It brings an even deeper and stronger bond of communion with the whole great family of God, as the love
07:37experienced between the flock and the pastor of a particular church, whose faith is vibrant and firm, blossoms into a
07:46love that embraces all humanity in the Lord.
07:50One of the most significant stages that Pope Leo XIV is going to be visiting in this travel through Peru
07:57is Pucalba, in the Peruvian Amazon, where the Pope will meet with men and women, missionaries and representatives of Amazonian
08:07state, of Amazonian peoples, protecting the dignity.
08:13Today, precisely, one of his main priorities throughout this papal visit is his appeal as well, to protect the common
08:24home, to protect Mother Earth.
08:27So today's priorities as well, along with that of protecting nature, is protecting as well the dignity of human people,
08:37of humans remains a central part of his advocacy, with particular attention to the most vulnerable.
08:45As well, protecting the environment is closely connected to defending the lives, rights and living conditions of the population, most
08:56exposed to environmental degradation and the exploitation of resources.
09:02That is why Pucalpa is going to be one of his key appearances, one of his key visits in this
09:10six-day journey that he is going to fulfil, to undergo in the upcoming days.
09:17It is also necessary as well, as he has promoted, to rethink models of development and production, moving beyond an
09:28understanding of growth, focused exclusively on profit, on consumption.
09:35Pope Leo XIV has insisted that we must promote an economy that pays greater attention to the human people, to
09:43social justice for future generations.
09:50Pope Leo XIV, who really З adequate attention to
