Pope Leo XIV’s van continues touring Chiclayo

In the middle of the dirt roads and steep routes of the Lambayecan mountain range, in Peru, a Mahindra truck continues to write stories in the Diocese of Chiclayo. It’s not just any truck: it belonged to Pope Leo XIV when he was Bishop there.

Today this truck pickup He continues to travel the same places that he traveled to reach the most remote corners of the diocese.

Father Aarón Meca Puse, a Chiclayano priest who serves in the San José Obrero parish (La Victoria) and one of those in charge of the vehicle, fondly remembers the arrival of this means of transportation.

“On December 12 (2015) he realized that we had to get a truck to be able to get around, because our diocese is large and has very complicated areas. Then the Pope saw the need to get a truck, and he looked at this Mahindra. It’s a 4×4, all-terrain, like that. as he asks us to be: all-terrain priests“, Father Meca told ACI Prensa.

A diocese of contrasts and difficult paths

The Diocese of Chiclayo not only covers the coastal city of the same name, but also rural and mountain areas that are difficult to access. Among them are Cañaris, Incahuasi, Uyurpampa and Santa Cruz, the latter belonging to Cajamarca but pastorally cared for by Chiclayo.

“Getting to these communities is complicated. Sometimes there is only one lane: to the left is the hill and to the right is the abyss. In the rainy season, the road becomes slippery, the tires skid. But the Pope—then Monsignor Robert (Prevost)— I wasn’t afraid to go to those places.”recalls the priest.

The Mahindra vehicle, known for its endurance on difficult terrain, was chosen precisely for that: its ability to respond to rough roads. Made in India, the brand is recognized for producing robust trucks, used even in rural areas of Latin America and Africa.

The Pope who taught how to drive

Beyond his taste for cars, the then Bishop of Chiclayo saw driving as a way to accompany and train his priests.

“Monsignor Robert liked to drive, but if someone accompanied him, he would tell you: ‘You drive’. He taught you how to do it, he gave you confidence. He was generous: if he had to lend the truck for pastoral work, he did it without hesitation,” says Father Meca.

Even his secretaries, Fr. Jasson Sempertigue, currently in Spain, and Fr. Edgar Rimaycuna, currently in Rome, learned to drive with him. “They can say: ‘the Pope taught me how to drive,’” comments the priest.

In addition to his skill behind the wheel, the priest assures that Bishop Prevost also had mechanical knowledge, which allowed him to repair the truck when it had any damage.

A van at the service of evangelization

Today, the vehicle that Pope Leo XIV once drove continues to fulfill its evangelizing mission in the San José Obrero parish of Chiclayo, where local priests continue to use it to reach rural chapels and visit the sick.

“It is not only the priests’ van, but also the community’s van. It is used to bring communion to the sick, celebrate mass in our chapels and mobilize when there are pastoral activities. We use it to serve, not to keep it,” he explains.

A life lesson: be “all-terrain”

Among the many anecdotes he preserves, Father Aarón remembers one especially: in 2023, before Monsignor Robert traveled to Rome to be created a cardinal by Pope Francis, they were to arrive in Incahuasi for the first mass of a new priest. The rains had increased the flow of the La Leche River and it seemed impossible to cross.

“The new priest was sad because we thought we were not going to get there. But Monsignor ventured first, entered with the truck, the water had risen, and he passed by. His face changed: ‘my bishop is capable of reaching the other side’. He knew the way, and thanks to his decision we were able to reach the community,” he recalls.

For Father Aarón, this attitude summarizes the teaching that today’s Pope Leo XIV left to his diocese: “He taught us that to be a priest is to be an all-rounderlike that truck: get up, fall and keep going. There is no complicated path when one goes with Christ and with the desire to serve his people.”