POPE LEO XIV returned to the remote Andean town of Santa Cruz de Succhabamba on Sunday, where he spoke of the “suffering of those who are forced to leave their homeland in search of a better future,” warning that such migration has left entire communities under threat.
The visit drew a crowd of about 20,000 to the village of roughly 6,000 inhabitants, nestled in a remote part of the Andes in northern Peru, according to the Vatican. Crowds cheered as the pontiff arrived in the town within the Diocese of Chiclayo, where he served as bishop from 2015 to 2023 and visited several times a year to minister to its rural population.
At an outdoor Mass, Pope Leo highlighted “declining birth rates that are emptying villages” and the unequal distribution of the land’s resources. He thanked those who had made the journey to see him and stressed the importance of never losing heart despite life’s difficulties.
The pontiff’s message resonated in a region grappling with deep hardship. More than 40 percent of the population in the Cajamarca region, where Santa Cruz is located, live in poverty—the highest figure in Peru, according to official data. Cajamarca has also lost the highest number of people to internal migration, with 729,000 people born there now living elsewhere in the country.
The visit marks a poignant homecoming for Pope Leo, who has long championed the rural communities of northern Peru. His return to Santa Cruz underscores the Vatican’s focus on regions facing depopulation and economic neglect, placing the plight of the Andes at the heart of his papacy.
