The President of Peru met with Pope Leon XIV in Rome to give thanks, ask for unity and announce that the Peruvian saint, Rosa de Lima, will be honoured in the Vatican Gardens.
Newsroom(23/05/2025 14:43, Gaudium Press) On May 18, after the inaugural Mass of Pope Leo XIV’s pontificate, the President of Peru, Dina Boluarte, had a private meeting with the new Pontiff. At a press conference on May 21, Foreign Minister Elmer Schialer revealed the three main topics of the conversation, highlighting the “unique” nature of the visit to the Vatican. “A unique opportunity, not only because it was a Peruvian Pope, but also because it allowed the President to be with, let’s say, the best and most important and highest representative in the world,” said the Foreign Minister.
Leo XIV, Robert Prevost, was born in Chicago, USA, on September 14, 1955, but obtained Peruvian nationality on August 24, 2015, after serving as bishop of the Diocese of Chiclayo.
Three themes
According to Schialer, the president shared that during her conversation with the Holy Father, three main issues were addressed.
The first was gratitude for the Church’s social work in Peru. Boluarte thanked the Pope for the Church’s commitment to the most needy in the country, describing its work as “silent, discreet, but very important”. The chancellor recalled initiatives such as Respira Peru, promoted by the Church through Caritas, which during the COVID-19 pandemic provided respirators and essential medical supplies, with the support of private donors.
The second point was the request to continue promoting national dialog, that is, for the Catholic Church to continue its “discreet efforts” to promote dialog between the different political and social forces in the country, with a vision of unity, fraternity and camaraderie.
Finally, the third point was the incorporation of Saint Rose of Lima into the Vatican’s Marian Way. Finally, it was announced that Saint Rose of Lima will be placed on the Marian Way in the Vatican Gardens, becoming the first saint – and not a Marian devotion – to occupy a place in this space dedicated to the world’s Marian representations. This incorporation is expected to take place between October 5 and 10.
The meeting between the Holy Father and the Peruvian leader was much more than a political dialog, it was a spiritual bridge between Rome and Peru. In the midst of so many thanks and requests for unity, there was also news that filled many with pride: Saint Rose, the purest flower on the continent, will be honored on the Marian Way, among the most beloved invocations in the Catholic world.
With information from Aciprensa
Compiled by Teresa Joseph
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