Vatican News
“A gesture of closeness and communion that strengthens the pastoral mission of the Church in Peru” – this is how the Peruvian bishops describe the surprise given to them today by Leo XIV, who for years was part of the episcopal community of that country. The Pope visited them today during lunch. The 46 hierarchs have been in Rome since January 26, as part of their ad limina visit, during which they make a pilgrimage to the tombs of the apostles and visit various Vatican institutions. Tomorrow, their audience with the Holy Father is scheduled – one of the most important moments of every ad limina visit.
Prayer for the homeland and for the unity of the Church
“We are here to pray for peace and the future of Peru, so that this visit may strengthen us all in faith and build us up, for better service,” said Bishop Carlos García Camader, ordinary of the Diocese of Lurín and president of the Peruvian Episcopal Conference. “We pray that our future leaders will be good people who serve the nation, seek the common good, and above all strive to unite and add, not subtract or divide,” he added.
Gifts for the Pope: a mosaic and an image of St. Rose of Lima
The Peruvian bishops presented a mosaic depicting the Mother of God and an image of St. Rose of Lima, which will be blessed and placed in the Vatican Gardens on Saturday, January 31. Leo XIV will also participate in the ceremony, which will be broadcast by Vatican media.
The last two ad limina visits of the bishops of this country took place in May 2017, during the pontificate of Pope Francis, and in May 2009, during the pontificate of Pope Benedict XVI.
