Explore Pope Leo XIV’s 2019 consecration prayer in Chiclayo, reflecting Peru’s deep Marian devotion and a call for unity, repentance, and renewal.
Newsroom (13/05/2026 Gaudium Press ) In January 2019, a moment of profound spiritual significance unfolded in the northern Peruvian city of Chiclayo, when then-Bishop Robert Francis Prevost Martínez—now Pope Leo XIV—led a solemn act of consecration before the pilgrim image of Our Lady of Fatima. The event, held in the Cathedral of Santa Maria, drew a large gathering of faithful and clergy, underscoring the enduring Marian devotion that defines the local Catholic community.
The visit of the pilgrim image itself had been requested a year earlier by Bishop Prevost, who sought to bring the spiritual presence of the Sanctuary of Fatima in Portugal to the people of Chiclayo. When the image arrived, it became the focal point of a Eucharistic celebration that blended liturgical solemnity with a deeply personal act of faith.
According to Father Jorge Millán Cotrina, parish priest of the Holy Family Church in Chiclayo, the consecration was characterized by a spirit of openness and humility. Speaking to ACI Prensa, he recalled that Bishop Prevost readily agreed to the request of priests on retreat to participate in the consecration alongside the faithful. “He agreed very easily, out of love for the Virgin,” Millán said, emphasizing the bishop’s pastoral sensitivity and Marian devotion.
The emotional resonance of the occasion was heightened by Chiclayo’s historical and cultural identity. The city, originally named “Our Lady of the Valleys of Chiclayo” by Franciscan missionaries in the 16th century, has long fostered a deep attachment to Marian spirituality. “The people are very Marian,” Millán noted, explaining how this devotion permeates both public and private expressions of faith in the region.
Though now Pope Leo XIV, at the time Bishop Prevost did not emphasize a single Marian title above others. His spirituality, according to those close to him, encompassed a broad veneration of the Virgin Mary. He celebrated Masses honoring several Marian devotions, including Our Lady of Guadalupe, Our Lady of Lourdes, and Our Lady of Mount Carmel. More recently, he has shown particular reverence for Our Lady of Good Counsel during a visit to Italy, suggesting an evolving yet consistent Marian focus in his life of faith.
Central to the 2019 ceremony was the prayer of consecration composed and recited by Bishop Prevost. The text stands as a deeply reflective and penitential appeal, rooted in themes of repentance, reconciliation, and spiritual renewal. In the prayer, he declared:
“I, Robert Francis Prevost Martínez, dedicate this day to an act of consecration, repentance, forgiveness, and reparation to God for all the transgressions that have occurred in Peru.”
The prayer goes beyond a personal declaration, extending to the broader spiritual condition of the nation. Bishop Prevost explicitly acknowledged historical and contemporary challenges to the Catholic faith in Peru, asking for forgiveness and divine intervention to restore unity and conversion among its people.
He further renewed the consecration of the entire country—its dioceses, clergy, religious, and laity—to the Sacred Heart of Jesus and the Immaculate Heart of Mary. This dual consecration echoes longstanding Catholic traditions, particularly those linked to Fatima, where devotion to the Immaculate Heart holds special significance.
In a passage that encapsulates the prayer’s spirit, he proclaimed:
“I therefore wish to consecrate and surrender to God all that we are and all that we have, in exchange for His eternal love and protection for every person and every family in Peru.”
The act concluded with a communal recitation of the Hail Mary, inviting all present to unite in prayerful solidarity.
Today, as the Church commemorates Our Lady of Fatima on May 13, this moment from 2019 gains renewed relevance. It offers insight into the pastoral heart and spiritual priorities of Pope Leo XIV, revealing a leader deeply attuned to the power of Marian devotion as a means of fostering repentance, unity, and hope.
The Chiclayo consecration remains a vivid testament to the intersection of local tradition and universal faith—where a Peruvian city’s Marian heritage met the broader call to spiritual renewal led by a future pope.
I, Robert Francis Prevost Martínez, dedicate this day to an act of consecration, repentance, forgiveness, and reparation to God for all the transgressions that have occurred in Peru.
I do this before God and for those who have tried to undermine the Catholic faith in the past and present. I ask for forgiveness and, through this act of forgiveness, we hope that this consecration will be a reason to encourage us to seek in Peru the conversion and unity that we so desperately need and that come only from God.
Through this act of repentance, forgiveness, and reparation to God, I renew the consecration of Peru, united with its dioceses, parishes, priests, deacons, seminarians, religious men and women, and lay people, to the Sacred Heart of Jesus and the Immaculate Heart of Mary.
I therefore wish to consecrate and surrender to God all that we are and all that we have, in exchange for His eternal love and protection for every person and every family in Peru.
And let us pray together, Hail Mary…
- Raju Hasmukh with files from ACI Prensa
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