The current bishop of the Peruvian city of Chiclayo, where the polyglot Pope Leo XIV lived and worked, expressed confidence that the new leader of the Catholic Church will continue the work of his predecessor, calling him “a man with the smell of sheep.”
Robert Prevost, originally from the United States and also a Peruvian citizen, has long been involved in missionary work in the South American country. He was appointed Bishop of Chiclayo by Pope Francis on September 26, 2015.
He left the city in northwestern Peru after being called to Rome in January 2023.
The current bishop of Chiclayo, Monsignor Edinson Edgardo Farfan Cordova, used the analogy of sheep to describe the new pope as a “shepherd among the people” in his glowing assessment of the 69-year-old pontiff, who became the 267th to occupy the throne of St. Peter.
Reacting to the news of his election, he said: “I am convinced that Pope Leo XIV will continue the line of communication and closeness to the poor that was characteristic of Francis’ pontificate.
“I am sure that the new Pope will continue this work in his preferred direction for the poor. He was marked by the reality of our peripheries and the synodal spirit promoted by Francis.
After photographs appeared in Peruvian newspapers showing Robert Prevost as a young man on horseback during his stay in South America, he added: “There are pictures of him crossing the hills of Piura.
“He was a shepherd among men, a man with the scent of sheep.
“Leo XIV is not just a Pope for the world, he is also a spiritual son of Peru, a shepherd who knows our mountains, our parishes, our hopes.”
Peru's president called Pope Leo XIV a Peruvian “by choice and conviction,” despite the fact that he was born in Chicago to a U.S. Navy veteran of World War II of Italian and French descent and a mother who was the daughter of Louisiana Creole parents of African, French and Spanish descent.
She noted, “He chose to become one of us, to live among us and to carry in his heart the faith, culture and dreams of this country,” and then added, “The Pope is Peruvian; God loves Peru.”
During his first appearance on the Vatican balcony, Leo XIV briefly switched from Italian to Spanish to address the faithful “from my beloved diocese of Chiclayo in Peru,” where he served as bishop for nearly a decade.
Sourse: breakingnews.ie
