I was blessed to be in Peru the last few weeks, during which Pope Francis died and Pope Leo XIV was announced as the new pope.
As the world’s gaze zoomed in on the balcony of St Peter’s in Rome, one would be tempted to think that Christianity, Catholicism, revolves around the election of a new pope, with all its fascinating rituals and drama. However, the election of Pope Leo sharply redefines the Church’s gaze towards one of the most cherished legacies of Pope Francis: the peripheries – those far-flung places where Christianity reaches into the hovels and huts of the poor.
In Pope Leo’s first words, the marble colonnades become the embracing arms of an open Church: “a Church that builds bridges (and) dialogue, always open to receive (people), like this square, with open arms – everyone, all those who need our charity, our presence, dialogue and love”.
In the town of Huancané, near the border between Peru and Bolivia, 3,800 metres above sea level, I witnessed the final preparations for the opening of a new school by Bishop Giovanni Cefai, MSSP. The air, crisp, cold and lacking oxygen, did not deter a large group of workers to finish works by the inauguration day of April 28.
Rather than projecting everything on the one person of the pope, it is the rest of us who also contribute, in small and not so small ways, to the building of the People of God
For Bishop Giovanni, educating children from poor backgrounds is the first step for a Church that uplifts people: from poverty, to hope, to a better future. Seeing the scores of children, most missing teeth due to malnutrition, but carrying wide grins as they were handed their school bags, was in itself a moment worth witnessing.
Huancané is very far from Rome, but no less Catholic in the most embracing sense of the word. Materially it is a poor, forsaken place. Yet it is alive and brimming with hope. The presence of a vibrant Church in such places is not to play the part of another political player in the field, but truly to be an agent of change in a lake of desperation, cynicism, corruption, and violence. Truly, in the tradition of Pope Francis, a Church close to the people.
The story we witnessed in Huancané repeated itself with all the MSSP missionaries I met in Peru. A clinic in Arequipa recently inaugurated by Fr Alex Busuttil offers services to those who cannot afford basic medical care. Social and education programmes, a children’s home, regular visits to the poor and the sick, and the provision of assistance form part of a Gospel narrative that is not confined to liturgical spaces. At the same time, solid formation programmes for youths and regular catechesis show results, with churches filled to the brim with young and enthusiastic participants.
Is this a perfect Church? Far from it! Latin American Christianity was born by a sorry twinning of religion and power, colonialism and conversion, a baptism watered by trauma, violence, and imposition. It is a heavy historical burden to carry, yet, what shines through is faithful, quiet resilience.
It is reassuring to keep in mind at this time that rather than projecting everything on the one person of the pope, it is the rest of us who also contribute in small and not so small ways, to the building of the People of God.
As the words “Habemus Papam” rang in our ears, we rejoice in the reclamation of Pope Leo XIV’s assumed name, which harks to the Church’s missionary spirit, solidarity with the needy, and the reassurance of the Easter blessing of Jesus which Pope Leo XIV chose as his first words: “Peace be with you!”
The article first appeared in Times of Malta, May 11, 2025.