Cheers, Chants and a ‘Dance of the Little Devils’ for Pope Leo in Peru

The ceremony to honor Pope Leo XIV in the Peruvian city where he served as bishop for roughly eight years began on Saturday night with a procession of altar boys and priests. It ended long past dark with dancers in devil costumes swirling on the steps of his former church.

In between, there was a Mass, communion, many hymns, a student band, a chorus, fireworks, a musical performance by one of the priests — cheered like a rock star in a white robe — and chant after chant about the “papa Chiclayano,” the pope from Chiclayo.

Chiclayo, in northern Peru, is the country’s fifth-largest city and was the pope’s home from 2014 to 2023. Here he is known for traveling the region’s mountains and coast for long hours by car, and occasionally on horseback, and for his forceful sermons in fluent Spanish.

To celebrate him, hundreds of people filled the lush plaza in front of the city’s towering, yellowing cathedral. There were nuns in white habits and church groups in matching vests. Flanking the cathedral doors were two giant banners with pictures of a smiling Pope Leo.