The Pope's pastoral trip to Peru starts in Lima. After his arrival on the 18th in the capital, he will travel the following day to Puerto Maldonado, where there is great interest in hearing his message. This area of the Peruvian jungle suffers from the scourge of illegal mining and human trafficking, so it is no coincidence that here the Pope will be attending the Little Prince HostelThe Holy Father will also meet with the indigenous peoples of the Amazon and will celebrate a liturgy in Puerto Maldonado. In Puerto Maldonado, the Holy Father will also have a meeting with the indigenous peoples of the Amazon and will celebrate a liturgy in the Jorge Basadre State Technological InstituteLuis Garpar reports.
One day later, the Pope will visit the city of Trujillo, located in the north of the country. There, he will celebrate Mass on the esplanade of the Huanchaco beach resort and visit the area known as Buenos Aires, where he will bring his words of encouragement to those affected by the rains and floods caused by the El Niño Costero phenomenon between January and March of this year.
In this northern city, the Holy Father will meet with priests, religious and seminarians from the 11 ecclesiastical jurisdictions of northern Peru. He will conclude with a Marian encounter with the Immaculate Virgin of the Door in the main square of Trujillo. January 21 is the last day of the Pope's presence in Peru and South America, and the farewell will be from Lima. The Pope will go to the sanctuary of Las Nazarenas to visit the image of the Lord of Miracles, patron saint of the city and will meet with cloistered nuns, who in an unprecedented act will leave their convents in an extraordinary way and travel from different cities of Peru to Lima to be with the Successor of Peter.
At the end of this meeting, His Holiness will go to the cathedral of Lima where he will venerate the relics of Peruvian saints. He will also go to the Archbishop's Palace to meet with the bishops of Peru. The central and final activity of this visit will be the Holy Mass to be celebrated in the esplanade of the air base of Las Palmas, the enthusiasm to attend this Eucharistic celebration is overflowing. This is how Peru awaits the Pope, united in hope.
Pope's Birthday
On Sunday, December 17, Pope Francis turned 81 years old, and the feast was celebrated throughout the Catholic world. In Peru, perhaps in a special way. Thousands of faithful from parishes, brotherhoods, Catholic movements and the Pope's Guard gathered in Lima's Plaza Mayor to celebrate his birthday, in a gathering that included the participation of artists such as Julie Freundt, Pelo D'Ambrosio, children from the school Joy in the Lord, Luis Alcázar and catholic musicians, etc. Also present were the students from Santa Anita School, who won the Bienvenido Francisco Contest with their song "Welcome Francis". "Pilgrim of Hope".
The Peruvian people are responding to the preparations for the Pope's visit. Fr. Luis Gaspar underlines the foreseeable response of the Peruvian people to the massive Mass that Pope Francis will celebrate on Sunday, January 21, at the Las Palmas air base: "It is wonderful the warmth of the Peruvian people's faith. There is a fervor of the people to participate in the Pope's events. At the end of the first and second stage [before Christmas] 300,000 people have personally registered in parishes, schools, universities and ecclesiastical movements. We are very satisfied, Peru is standing up", says the director of the visit.
Joy and enthusiasm
The Archbishop of Lima, Cardinal Juan Luis Cipriani, said that he himself recorded the video to bring from Rome a message from the Holy Father to all the Peruvian people, and it reflects the joy, the illusion, the prayer, the enthusiasm that the Pope has for coming to Peru:
"I found him in very good spirits and in very good physical shape. The truth is that I was very happy. As always, he was very affectionate. And he always brings up 'You are a land of saints'. This is very close to his heart. God has wanted Peru to contribute to this new evangelization in South America. Therefore, the invitation to each one of us is to come closer, God has passed very close to this country and has wanted Latin America to be a light that illuminates other countries, that illuminates with joy, with peace, with that desire to help others, which is not something that comes from you, it is something that God puts in your heart. What a joy to have been with the Pope and what a joy to have listened to him".
The Pope is very excited about going to Peru, because he knows Peru and he knows the Peruvian people. "I believe that this video, which I hope will become widely known, is a very personal touch of affection. He is dreaming, he is already going through our streets, with that pastoral atmosphere of a father, of a friend, of a close man who brings God", Cardinal Cipriani assured.
