With a prayer vigil and a serenade, the city of Chiclayo, where Bishop Robert Francis Prevost was, awaits the opening mass of the now Pope Leo XIV.
Fr. Alexander Quispe, vicar of the Santa María de Chiclayo Cathedral, said that tonight “we will have a prayer vigil and thanksgiving that will begin at 9 at night.”
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Chiclayo awaits with prayer vigil and serenade the inauguration mass of Pontificate of Pope Leo XIV. Video courtesy of Marcelo Sánchez Silva Izaguirre. pic.twitter.com/eqal8BBCqM
– Walter Sánchez Silva (@wsanchezsilva) May 18, 2025
According to the Andean agencyThe priest also said that “at 11 at night, our bishop, Monsignor Edinson Farfán, will preside over a special prayer, inviting the entire community to join this spiritual celebration.”
In La Serenata there will also be a space in which there will be several artistic presentations to show the culture of this area of northern Peru. “There will be sailors, silver and many other numbers that will rejoice the night,” said the priest.
The vigil and serenade will continue until 3:00 in the morning of Sunday, May 18, at which time the beginning of the inauguration mass of the pontificate of Pope Leo XIV is scheduled, which corresponds to 10:00 in the morning of Rome.
In Chiclayo, Peru, they sing “The Mustard Granite”, waiting for the Mass of the beginning of Pontificate of Pope Leo XIV. Video courtesy of Marcelo Sánchez Silva Izaguirre. pic.twitter.com/w3iF3jPswo
– Walter Sánchez Silva (@wsanchezsilva) May 18, 2025
“The Mass will last about an hour and a half and include various signs and rituals that are part of this expected celebration,” explained the Peruvian priest.
Father Quispe also emphasized the importance of security for attendees, ensuring that they have coordinated with local authorities to guarantee a safe and family environment all night.
“We invite all the parishioners and the community of Chiclayo to join in prayer and enjoy this great celebration. The best way to support the Pope at the beginning of his pontificate is through our prayers,” he concluded.
Some photos of Chiclayo tonight, the city of Peru where Pope Leo XIV was a bishop. Courtesy Marcelo Sánchez Silva Izaguirre. pic.twitter.com/86xUMdpkCO
– Walter Sánchez Silva (@wsanchezsilva) May 18, 2025
Robert Francis Prevost, the now Pope Leo XIV, was a bishop of Chiclayo and Apostolic Administrator of Callao in Peru.
In 2015 he requested Peruvian citizenship and now has the DNI that all Peruvian carries.
#Habemuspapam | The new Pope Leo XIV greeted Peru in his first message and recalled his service in the Diocese of Chiclayo.
During his stay in our country he requested Peruvian nationality, obtaining the title that accredits him as a Peruvian citizen on August 24, 2015, in … pic.twitter.com/EkYtWViVpx
– Peru migrations (@migrationspe) May 8, 2025
Mons. Javier del Río Alba, Archbishop of Arequipa (Peru), says that “we can say that the Pope is Peruvian not only because he has our same nationality, but also because of the 42 years elapsed since his priestly ordination, 23 has passed them in Peru.”
That, he added, “means that a good part of the formation and pastoral experience of the now successor of Pedro has acquired them in Peruvian lands.”
Walter Sánchez Silva
I am husband since 2008. With my wife we have three children here and one who went to heaven in 2023, before birth. Since I joined ACI Press in 2005, I have had the opportunity to cover various events of the Catholic Church. Among them, the World Youth Days in Colonia, Madrid and Rio de Janeiro and the apostolic trips of Pope Benedict XVI to Mexico and Pope Francis to South Korea. I have been sent to the Vatican to cover the family’s synods, in 2015; of the Amazon, in 2019 and that of Sinodality, in 2023. I follow the situation of the Catholic Church in Nicaragua, which suffers the persecution of the dictatorship of Daniel Ortega, as well as the ecclesial news in the region.