‘Peruvian pope’ Leo XIV comes home to a country that shaped his life and faith through ‘hardship’

Pope Leo XIV’s return to Peru highlights how the country shaped his faith and outlook during decades of pastoral work there. An academic argues that this experience may help him encourage dialogue in a nation marked by deep political and social divisions.

Leo, the first American-born pope, spent years in Peru amid political instability, terrorism, state violence and stark inequality. Victor Casallo of Antonio Ruiz de Montoya University says those experiences fostered cultural openness, solidarity with marginalised people and an understanding of suffering; he warns that opponents are often seen as enemies rather than people with different views.