The Journey of Pope Leo XIV

Pope Leo XIV, then known as Robert Prevost, survived a bomb threat that destroyed the church door where he was celebrating mass in Peru. He was a young Augustinian missionary who had just arrived in a small village in the Latin American country, during one of the darkest moments in the country's history, when the Maoist guerrilla group Shining Path was terrorizing villages and cities. Despite warnings and dangers, Prevost decided to stay: 'He had an aura that spoke to people. People flocked to him.' It was 1985 when young Robert Prevost, from Chicago, arrived in Chulucanas, a city in northern Peru on the edge of the jungle. At the time, he looked like an unconventional missionary: jeans, uncertain Spanish but contagious energy. Hector Camacho, now 53, then a teenager and altar boy in the parish of the small village of Yapatera, where Prevost once preached, told Reuters. Camacho remembers the young Prevost as a priest capable of winning everyone over: 'He came here when he was very young, but we thank that boy who walked with us, played basketball in the arena, and took us to the beach for the weekend.' Prevost learned Spanish by asking for help from the altar boys, involving them in activities to keep them away from crime, and even hired karate, swimming, and basketball coaches. He accompanied the community on long pilgrimages between the mud-brick churches of the region, on foot or horseback, carrying crucifixes and ceremonial wine. The Peru of the 1980s was torn by a bloody internal conflict: the Maoist-inspired Peruvian guerrilla organization Shining Path fought against government forces. That spiral of violence would cause about 70,000 victims. In that context, the church was also a target. Fidel Alvarado, now a priest of the Chulucanas diocese, remembers that period well: 'A bomb destroyed the church door, and Prevost received death threats. He and the other North American priests were told to leave within 24 hours, or they would be killed.' But none of them left: 'What convinced them to stay were the people.' Prevost's room in the diocesan residence was simple but welcoming: bed, desk, an armchair, and a shared bathroom. He prayed every morning at 5:00 in a room adorned with stained glass and drove his pickup truck through rural areas. Cristobal Mejia, now bishop of Chulucanas, remembers him as 'a scholarly man' and deeply devoted. He also began to enjoy the local culture, becoming a Peruvian citizen in 2015 and appreciating typical dishes like ceviche and chicken chicharrón. From 2015 to 2023, he was the bishop of the city of Chiclayo, not far from his first parish. His imprint remained in the heart of the community. Many still describe him with the phrase: 'a shepherd who smells of sheep,' meaning a man close to his faithful. 'He always spoke to us about the value of community, which is part of the beauty of St. Augustine,' Alvarado explained. Not surprisingly, Leo XIV will be the first pope of the Augustinian order. And although some hoped that the new pope would choose the name 'Augustine,' Prevost preferred to avoid focusing attention on the order. Oscar Antonio Murillo Villanueva, a priest from nearby Trujillo, met Prevost in the 1980s. He remembers him as a solid presence even in times of crisis: 'He suffered alongside the pain of the Peruvian people. He never remained silent about the injustices that occurred here... about the massacres, the floods, the inertia of the rulers.' Camacho, Prevost's little altar boy - now an adult - who remained in contact with him even after his transfer to Trujillo, recounts: 'I never saw him angry or emotional. One day he was packing: his mother had died. I was crying, but he had this calm. He was prepared, as if he knew that God would welcome her.' When Camacho asked if he could name his daughter after Prevost's mother, the future Pope agreed, later becoming her godfather. Mildred Camacho, now 29 and a mother of a family, maintained contact with Prevost for years. 'He sent me letters, told me about his travels, his missions,' she said, showing the photos she received. 'His phrase was always: keep me in your prayers, just as I keep you in mine.'