A Missionary Pope: Reflections on Pope Leo XIV from a local missionary serving in Peru

Pope Leo XIV greets people as he rides in the popemobile before celebrating Mass in St. Peter’s Square at the Vatican June 1 as part of the Jubilee of Families, Children, Grandparents and the Elderly. (CNS photo/Lola Gomez)

Editor's Note: This interview has been edited for brevity.

Iwould like to begin by saying I do not know Pope Leo XIV personally, although we served only six hours away from each other in Peru and we are both from the U.S.

My son and I attended Mass many times in the Basilica of Chiclayo, the city of his last assignment in Peru, because Chiclayo is the nearest airport to our mission post six hours away. The closest I have ever been to him was in 2022, when then-Bishop Prevost was present at the installation Mass of our new bishop for the Diocese of Chachapoyas. 
 

NTC: What were your initial thoughts when you learned Pope Leo XIV is an American who spent many years as a missionary in Peru?

My initial thoughts were to praise God; we have a pope who understands the true meaning of living in solidarity with the poor. A man who not only left his native land, but his customs, his native language, and all the material comforts of the U.S. to serve the poor. 

I was truly delighted, and I said to myself, “This man knows the reality and hardships of the poor, not only in a material way, but spiritually as well.”
 

NTC: What has been the response of Peruvian Catholics to the new pope?

Within my diocese and my small community here in the Pueblo of Santa Clara, the news has been received as a true blessing. It has given the community hope and renewed faith that they are not forgotten; that Jesus has not forgotten them.

Jesus clearly teaches in the Gospel of Matthew 26:11 that the poor will always be with us, but that He will not always be with us, reiterating the teaching found in the

Book of Deuteronomy where the Israelites are commanded to open their hands to one’s brother and to the poor (Deuteronomy 15:11). However, sadly, we must admit this is not always the case, and the poor are more often forgotten. 

As those in First World countries deal with First World issues, the poor of Third World countries struggle in ways that many would find unbearable for even a short time. Many find if the poor are out of sight, they are out of mind. So, with Pope Leo XIV, despite being born in the U.S., the poor consider him one of their own, and they feel they are no longer out of sight and out of mind and are delighted to share the excitement and joy of our new pope with the world.

As lay Catholic missionaries, my son and I are full of joy and feel renewed with a new zeal and feel a sense of a connection with the pope. 

Many often ask why I serve in Peru, and why I do not just serve in the U.S. Sometimes, I feel we are forgotten and are very much out of sight and mind of our parishes back home, our diocese, our families. To hear the pope was a missionary pope serving in Peru, and American, affirmed to me in a large way that all the hardships we bear, as we strive to live in solidarity with the poor, as advocates for the poor, meets exactly what we baptized members have been asked to do.
 

NTC: How might his years in Peru have shaped him or provided understanding?

Anyone who dares to follow Jesus to the ends of the world to serve the poorest of the poor, who has had the opportunity day in and day out, to see the face of Jesus in the eyes of the poor, as Pope Leo XIV has, will forever bear a mark on them. 

Perhaps Pope Leo XIV is incredibly blessed to have seen how the poor go without — without jobs, food, homes, health care, justice, and even access to a priest or the sacraments. Yet they remain faithful to the Catholic faith despite the fact many only see a priest once a year. I am sure the pope can testify of the love and mercy Jesus has for the poor and of the incredible endless opportunities there are for baptized members to serve them.

NTC: What are your hopes for the new pope?

My prayer for the pope is that he remains true to his missionary vocation and at the center of God's will. And that he will lead with a radical love for the poor. Lastly, that perhaps his life in foreign missions and all he encountered while on mission will shine through as an example to all and create a new zeal among all baptized members of our Church to answer the call to love like Christ and proclaim the Gospel to the ends of the Earth!

During his first Mass, my heart was overjoyed to hear him speak of the call to self-sacrificing love. To hear him reflect on the “infinite and unconditional love of God” that propelled Peter to embark on his mission was powerful. Because for me, experiencing God's unconditional love, mercy, and forgiveness was what propelled me to go tell the world of what I myself had experienced.

Pope Leo made it known that self-sacrificing love is the only way we will be able to win the hearts of others and bring them to the mercy and love found in Jesus Christ, which is the true mission of the Church.

By Karen Del Castillo, who has served with Family Missions Company since 2017, primarily in the northern part of Peru, serving the poor in the Chachapoyas Diocese, located in the heart of the selva known as the Amazonas region. Read more about her and her mission work here. 

Karen Del Castillo (right) takes a picture with some local faithful in Peru. (courtesy photo/Karen Del Castillo)