A promise kept: Pope Leo returns to Santa Cruz

By Xavier Sartre - Santa Cruz

Santa Cruz is a journey that requires effort. It takes four hours by car or minibus from the diocesan seat in Chiclayo, two of which are on a very narrow road where passing is difficult, and in some places impossible.

Sometimes the asphalt gives way to stone, and often the ground is littered with rocks that have fallen from the cliffs above. When it rains too much, this road becomes completely impassable and closed.

This road is one that Pope Leo XIV knows well. He traveled it several times when he was Bishop of Chiclayo. He came at least once a year for the feast of Señor del Costado, celebrated by all the inhabitants of this town of five thousand people, perched high in the mountains, at an altitude of over two thousand meters, barely overlooked by other mountains that seem like mere hills.

It is in this magnificent natural setting of the Andes that the Pope decided to celebrate Mass, surrounded by his people and the faithful he had known during his diocesan ministry.

To reach Santa Cruz, a narrow road follows the gorges of the Chancay River. {"@context": "http://schema.org","@type": "ImageObject","contentUrl": "https://www.vaticannews.va/content/dam/vaticannews/multimedia/2026/novembre/12/img-8610.jpg/_jcr_content/renditions/cq5dam.thumbnail.cropped.750.422.jpeg","creditText": "Vatican News","height": "750","width": "422"} A blessing from God

Ahead of the Pope's arrival, Fr. Wildor Cubas Julca, the parish priest of the Immaculate Conception, is on the stage set up at the end of the city's airfield.

He is installing the Christ figure that will overlook the altar where the Pope will celebrate the Eucharist. Drills, hammers, and saws are still in use.

Asked about the arrival of the Holy Father, he said, "It's a dream, a grace from God who blesses us through the Pope."

"People are waiting for words of relief, of hope; they are waiting for the word of God," he continued.

Beside him, Cristian Calderón Orrego agrees. "It's an overwhelming emotion."

"We still can't believe it," says the president of the Señor del Costado fraternity, guardian of this statue of unknown origin, dating from the 17th century, kept next to the church, and of which a replica of this work representing the Risen Christ in glory will be present on the stage of the Mass.

Santa Cruz, an isolated and quiet community

In town, Santa Cruz remains, for the moment, a quiet little place. The residents are keen to emphasize this, especially since it's the "land of cordiality." In the center, there's barely a hint of activity.

Only the local police and reinforcements are bustling about, receiving instructions in the central square, between the church and the bandstand in the garden. Yet, the town is indeed preparing to receive the Pope.

This is evidenced by the yellow and white Vatican flags and the frescoes painted on the walls of houses at the request of the parish priest. There are dozens of them: Pope Leo XIV is depicted with all the major tourist attractions of the region, with the faithful, in Rome. He blesses, he greets, he confirms, sometimes in papal robes, sometimes as a bishop, in a cassock, or in clerical garb.

Murals depicting Pope Leo decorate the streets of Santa Cruz {"@context": "http://schema.org","@type": "ImageObject","contentUrl": "https://www.vaticannews.va/content/dam/vaticannews/multimedia/2026/novembre/12/img-8765-2.jpg/_jcr_content/renditions/cq5dam.thumbnail.cropped.750.422.jpeg","creditText": "Vatican News","height": "750","width": "422"} Jubilant residents

“It’s wonderful,” replied Elit Santa Cruz, a 33-year-old woman born in the town, moved when asked what the Pope’s visit means to her.

Receiving the Successor of Peter in her community is, for her as for many other residents, an unexpected opportunity to put Santa Cruz on the world map.

“Access to our community has always been a problem,” she explains. “We would like to be able to welcome more brothers and sisters among us; we have so much to share: tourist sites, customs, and above all, our faith."

100,000 worshippers expected

Access to Santa Cruz will not be a problem this Saturday: the priest expects no fewer than one hundred thousand worshippers to attend Mass.

A dozen giant screens have been set up for those who will be far from the altar. Many will be camping near the site. "We're praying it doesn't rain," admitted Fr. Wildor, because the town doesn't have the resources to house everyone.

The faithful of Santa Cruz wait for Pope Leo with joyful anticipation {"@context": "http://schema.org","@type": "ImageObject","contentUrl": "https://www.vaticannews.va/content/dam/vaticannews/multimedia/2026/novembre/12/img-8756-2.jpg/_jcr_content/renditions/cq5dam.thumbnail.cropped.750.422.jpeg","creditText": "Vatican News","height": "750","width": "422"}

Knowing the logistical challenge, we ask what prompted the Pope to come here. Fr. Wildor is very clear: the man who was then Bishop Robert Prevost, or Padre Robert, kept his promise.

“Before leaving for Rome, he said, ‘I will return,’” he recounted. He was supposed to do so in 2025 for the 350th anniversary of the statue of Señor del Costado. But in the meantime, the former Bishop of Chiclayo was elected Successor of Peter.

“Today, he is keeping his word: he is coming back to see Señor del Costado,” rejoices Fr. Wildor, who also mentions the powerful attraction of his community, their witness of faith.

“He said it one day: ‘Thank you for your witness,’ seeing so many people, their simplicity and their closeness. That is also a very strong reason that explains his return,” he explained.

The Mass on Saturday in Santa Cruz, at the summit of these Andes so difficult to penetrate, is therefore the promise of the Bishop of Chiclayo which the Bishop of Rome has come to uphold.