Robert Prevost carried out a vibrant missionary ministry in Chiclayo, known for his openness, accessibility, and deep pastoral presence. During the pandemic, he played a key role in mobilizing local support to build and operate oxygen plants—an initiative that saved many lives at a time when oxygen was unaffordable for many families. He was always available to visit groups who invited him, regardless of their size or location.

He developed a strong friendship with Father Juan Sima, SJ, our CVX advisor in Chiclayo, as both shared roots in Chicago, USA.

The photo I shared was taken in November 2015, just a few months after he was appointed bishop. Our CVX community, San Francisco Javier, visited him at the diocesan offices to present our work in the diocese—particularly our “Engaged Couples Retreat,” held monthly on the second Saturday at the Santa María Retreat House run by the Society of Jesus in Chiclayo. He listened attentively and warmly gave us his blessing to continue (a mission that remains active to this day). He even encouraged diocesan priests to refer engaged couples from their parishes and to assist by offering confession and celebrating Mass at the conclusion of each retreat.

We in Chiclayo were truly blessed by his wholehearted and tireless pastoral work—what he himself called his “missionary vocation.” He organized support for migrants throughout the various sectors of the diocese. This work involved members of the Jesuit Regional Apostolic Platform of Chiclayo, in which CVX actively participates. He also led the campaign to collect donations for building and running oxygen plants during the COVID-19 crisis. His presence was constantly celebrating liturgies in numerous parishes and walking through towns and villages. He often arrived at group meetings alone, driving himself and walking like any ordinary parishioner to the gathering place.

The second photo I’m sharing is from July 2018, taken during a reunion of the Grupo Universitario Cristiano (GUC), the university student ministry that eventually became a seedbed for CVX members. At the time, it was accompanied by Fathers Fernando Basabe, SJ, and Javier Purón, SJ. He joined us for a light meal and later, a heartfelt conversation that became quite personal.

We experienced Robert Prevost as a man of deep humility, approachable and genuine, yet remarkably thoughtful and precise in his words.

We are all overjoyed by his appointment and remain committed to praying for him as he embraces this new mission entrusted to him by God.

In 2015, CVX San Francisco Javier (Chiclayo, Peru) visited Monsignor Prevost shortly after he took office as Archbishop of Chiclayo.

Gathering of the “Christian University Group – GUC” (July 2018)

Today, we once again heard the powerful and moving words: “Habemus Papam.” With them came the joyful surprise of learning the name of the new successor of Peter.

Upon hearing Robert Francis Cardinal Prevost Martínez, what immediately comes to mind are the qualities of a compassionate and humble pastor—approachable, sincere, discreet, and deeply committed to the people he served.

Robert Prevost was born on September 14, 1955, in Chicago, into a migrant family with Franco-Italian and Spanish roots. He was ordained a priest in June 1982 and, just three years later, arrived in Chulucanas, Peru, in 1985 as a missionary. There, he ministered among the rural poor, embodying the spirit of the “peasant Christ”—a figure he often evoked in his encounters with the local farming communities. In the years that followed, he served as a professor, parish administrator, vicar, and pastoral leader in several dioceses across northern Peru, including Piura, Trujillo, and Chiclayo.

At the 2001 General Chapter of the Order of St. Augustine, he was elected Prior General, a role he would fulfill until 2013. Upon his return to Peru, he was appointed Apostolic Administrator of the Diocese of Chiclayo and consecrated as bishop on December 12, 2014. After acquiring Peruvian citizenship, he officially assumed the role of Bishop of Chiclayo on September 26, 2015.

During his eight years of service in Chiclayo, he was a shepherd profoundly engaged with the realities of his people, marked by a deep social conscience and a spirit of ecclesial communion. Monsignor Roberto, as he preferred to be called, was a son of the Second Vatican Council—a man who embraced the Church’s universality and the richness of cultural diversity with deep conviction.

On January 30, 2023, he was appointed Prefect of the Dicastery for Bishops and President of the Pontifical Commission for Latin America. Later that year, on September 30, he was created Cardinal Deacon by Pope Francis and elevated to the rank of Cardinal Bishop on February 6, 2025.

With a background that includes a degree in Mathematics, a Master of Divinity, and a Doctorate in Canon Law, Cardinal Prevost was elected on May 8, 2025, as the first Augustinian Pope in the history of the Catholic Church, taking the name Leo XIV.

While the meaning behind his papal name has not yet been revealed, one might draw a parallel to Friar Leo, the close companion and confidant of St. Francis of Assisi—a priest renowned for his purity and simplicity, who served as Francis’s confessor, secretary, and caregiver until his final days. It was to Friar Leo that Francis entrusted the singing of the Canticle of the Creatures, a final gesture of praise and humility.