CHICLAYO AGAIN

 

 

A statue of Pope Leo XIV has been unveiled in CHICLAYO, his former episcopal city in Peru. 

As part of the celebrations on Thursday, Chiclayo's  bishop Edinson Farfán celebrated Mass and blessed the sculpture. He asked Pope Leo XIV to "always protect us with his blessing and to always accompany us".

The statue, which is around  16 feet high, is made of white fiberglass and resin and weighs around half a ton. It was designed by Peruvian artist Juan Carlos Ñañake. It stands at a roundabout at the southern entrance to the city of Chiclayo, which the local authorities plan to rename the "Papal Oval". 

It is part of a new tourist route called "Ways of Pope Leo XIV", which will include 38 places of interest in four provinces where the Holy Father left his mark during his time in Peru from, 1985 to 2023.

On the occasion of its unveiling, the governor of the Lambayeque region, Jorge Pérez Flores, emphasized that Pope Leo XIV "is a Peruvian who has walked with us and is certainly always with us with his prayers for the well-being of the Peruvian people". 

Pope Leo had addressed the faithful of the Chiclayo diocese in the main loggia of St Peter's Basilica during the first speech after his election as Pope on 8 May, assuring them of his closeness.