On May 8th, over a hundred Roman Catholic cardinals and high-ranking Vatican officials from five of the world’s continents elected Cardinal Robert Francis Prevost as the new Pope Leo XIV.
The election of Prevost as the new Pope came as a welcome surprise to Peruvians, and particularly to the Afro-Peruvian community. Born in Chicago, Illinois, in 1955, the new Pope had spent over two decades in Peru, where he demonstrated a commitment to supporting the most disadvantaged individuals during a period of intense violence in the country. While serving as the Bishop of Chiclayo in Peru, Pope Leo was one of the first to call for former authoritarian President Alberto Fujimori to issue a formal apology to all those who had been victimized by his administration. Fujimori infamously designed an anti-poverty initiative that pressured Indigenous and Afro-Peruvians women into sterilization, threatening violence or the withdrawal of essential services for those who declined.
Afro-Peruvians form an important part of the nation’s identity. The community has nurtured major figures like Dr. José “Cheche” Campos Dávila, who teaches at the Universidad Nacional de Lima and writes about the Peruvian Black Movement; José Pepe Luciano, who was a formidable human rights activist; and the singer, poet, and playwright Nicomedes Santa Cruz, who wrote some of the most important works on Afro-Peruvians identity.
Pope Leo XIV’s impact on Afro-Peruvians
Oswaldo Bilbao Lobatón, executive director of the Center for Ethical Development (Centro de Desarrollo Étnico (CEDET)), shared his thoughts on the recently elected Pope Leo XIV.
During his inaugural visit, when he was still Cardinal Prevost, he made a significant impact on the underprivileged population who live in the diocese of Chulucanas, which is in the state of Piura. While in the diocese, the future pope frequently visited the nearby Afro-Peruvian farming village of Yapateras. The future pope made a particular effort to visit the famed local poet/community historian Fernando Barraenzuela.
Bilbao Lobatón told the AmNews: “For us, it was good news when the current pope, Leo XIV, was appointed. He served as bishop of Chiclayo in 2015, and three years later, in 2018, he assumed the second vice-presidency of the Peruvian Episcopal Conference. Then he was with the Congregation of Bishops, and then he served as the apostolic administrator of Callao, the Pacific Ocean port city where a large number of Afro-Peruvians are concentrated, and where salsa is the daily dose of happiness. We have no doubt that he was affected by and shared in our salsa joys.
“While he lived in Peru, he visited the Afro-Peruvians Museum of Zaña. After the arrival of the terrible COVID-19 virus, he promoted the installation of oxygen plants to urgently help the families affected by the terrible Cyclone Yaku. This new Pope understood the Peruvian people and their extraordinary devotion to Christ, known as the Lord of Miracles.”
During his stay in Peru, the new Pope learned to speak both Spanish and Quechua. According to Bilbao Lobatón, there are expectations for a Pope Leo XIV-led church that is more committed to supporting the poor, a direction the Catholic Church took once it was initiated by Pope Francis. The new Pope’s extended stay in Peru has led to him being recognized as connected to Hispanic America. The hope for continued progress remains.