Pope Leo XIV birthdays in Chiclayo: Simplicity, closeness and community

Pope Leo XIV, before arriving at the Pontificate, celebrated his birthdays in Chiclayo (Peru) with gestures marked by simplicity, closeness and in community. This is remembered priests, laity and groups of faithful who shared with him those moments during his years as bishop of the diocese.

Fr. Jorge Millán, who collaborated closely with Mons. Robert Prevost in Chiclayo, evoked the sober style of these celebrations: “We used to meet with a family with Monsignor: a lunch, the classic cake, sing the ‘happy birthday’ … It was an afternoon threatened, but then he returned to work,” he shared with Aci Press.

In the morning, he said, he received greetings from institutions and schools in the city, while in the afternoon he presided over the birthday mass in the cathedral. “That was his solemn celebration with citizenship. Everything in general was very simple, but at the same time very emotional, because he welcomed those gestures and was glad,” he added.

Janinna Sesa Córdova, former director of Cáritas Chiclayo, recalled with affection a surprise prepared by the volunteer team: “One year we made him believe that we were looking for him for an urgent theme. When he arrived, we surprised him with balloons, a large card and a cake. He really was surprised, because he did not expect it.” He also narrated another occasion in which, not finding him in the bishopric, they had to take the cake to Monsfú, where he celebrated a mass.

The Milagro Eucharistic Peru 1649 group also has endearing memories. His coordinator, Jesús León Ángeles, stood out especially on September 14, 2022, in full Covid-19 Pandemia, when the authorities had decreed a national quarantine: “We took a cake with his image and the design of the future Eucharistic Sanctuary of Eten. When he saw us, he began to applaud smiling and said: ‘Thank you very much, let’s continue walking’.

The link of the current pontiff with the Peruvian city of Mansfú also marked his life. Every September 14, his birthday, coincided with the Fiesta del Nazareno Captive, a local holiday. As Fr. Millán recalls, “he never put his onomastic in the fore, he participated with faith in the celebration and preferred to go unnoticed in that regard.”

This love today is expressed in Rome. César Fernández, president of the Jesús Nazareno Captive Association of Monsfú – Rome, said that This 2025 will carry a great flag with the message “Happy Birthday, Holy Father Leo XIV. Chiclayo and Monsfú await it”in addition to music and typical dances: “For us it is a way to return the affection that he sowed in our land.”

The testimonies agree that, both in Chiclayo and elsewhere, Pope Leo XIV never sought prominence. He preferred to share the table – with a kid, a rice with duck or his favorite dessert, the lemon foot – and celebrate with the community in a fraternal environment.

“He was characterized by his simplicity. He ate what he was offered, he handled himself to get to the parishes, sat with people to look at the stars. He always transmitted closeness and humility,” said Jesús León.