Pope Leo made an unexpected appearance at a lunch with Peruvian bishops in Rome, a gesture described by the bishops as a sign of “closeness and communion.” The visit occurred as the bishops are in Rome for their annual ad limina visit.
Peru Bishops’ Visit to Rome
The Peruvian bishops described Pope Leo’s surprise visit to their “fraternal lunch” as “a gesture of closeness and communion that strengthens the pastoral mission of the Church in Peru,” according to the X account of the Peruvian Bishops’ Conference.
The bishops are in Rome for their annual ad limina visit, scheduled from January 26 to 31. The gathering includes bishops from the country’s 46 ecclesiastical jurisdictions, who are scheduled to meet with the Pope on January 30.
Prayers for Peru’s Future
“We are here to pray for peace and for the future of Peru, so that this visit may strengthen all of us and encourage us in faith to better serve others,” said Bishop Carlos García Camader, Bishop of Lurín and President of the Peruvian Bishops’ Conference.
“We pray that our future leaders may be good men and women who serve the nation, seek the common good, and above all strive to unite and to ‘add’, not to subtract or divide,” he added.
Saint Rose of Lima
The Bishops’ Conference presented the Pope with a mosaic of the Blessed Virgin Mary and an image of Saint Rose of Lima. These gifts will be blessed and placed in the Vatican Gardens on Saturday, January 31.
The last ad limina visits by Peruvian bishops took place in May 2017, with Pope Francis, and in May 2009, with Pope Benedict XVI.
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