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Why Pope Leo XIV prayed to the founder of Opus Dei and more interesting facts about his life as a missionary

Pope Leo XIV feels a strong connection to Spain, especially Aragon

In Peru, he is considered a fellow countryman: merchants advertise their products with his portrait

They say that the place of birth is accidental. In the case of Robert Prevost, it is strictly true. Pope Leo XIV was born in Chicago, but with a "Peruvian heart," as his brother John has stated. He also feels a strong connection to Aragon, to the point of carrying with him the relics of a bishop from Teruel who died a martyr in the Spanish Civil War.

He has Spanish roots on his mother's side and received Peruvian nationality in 2016. He spent more than 40 years there as a missionary. In his first address as Leo XIV on the balcony of St. Peter's, he wanted to share it with the entire world.



"To my beloved diocese of Chiclayo, Peru, where a faithful people accompanied their bishop, shared their faith, and gave so much to continue being the faithful Church of Jesus Christ," he expressed. Although we Spaniards can also feel a little bit of Leo XIV very much ours.

In this article, OKDIARIO shares many interesting facts about his life in Peru, where he spent 40 years traveling the country, and his strong connection with Aragon, through the founder of Opus Dei, Saint José María Escribá de Balaguer.

Pope Leo XIV and Opus Dei

Chiclayo is a city located in northern Peru, between Lima and Piura. The diocese has had a special connection with Opus Dei and Aragon since 1968, given that the second bishop in its history belonged to this prelature, Ignacio de Orbegozo y Goicoechea, who has since then ordained hundreds of priests.

During the 20 years he led the diocese, Orbegozo succeeded the people in inspiring a strong devotion to the founder of Opus Dei, the Aragonese Saint Josemaría Escrivá de Balaguer, born in Barbastro in 1902.

In fact, another Aragonese bishop, Jesús Moliné, succeeded Orbegozo. Thus, when Robert Prevost became bishop of Chiclayo, he maintained popular veneration of the Aragonese saint in the Diocese, celebrating a Mass held in honor of Saint José María in the cathedral every June 26th.

And Pope Leo XIV's connection with Aragon does not end there, as he wears a very special cross that houses five relics of martyrs. One of them is that of Blessed Bishop Anselmo Polanco y Fonteche, the Augustinian bishop of Teruel, who was assassinated by the Republicans in the Spanish Civil War. His body rests on the altar of the Teruel cathedral.



This has raised hopes that the new Pope Leo XIV will soon visit Aragon and pray before the Virgin of Pilar, as Saint John Paul II did twice (in 1982 and 1984).

The Peruvian hat at age 5

As Leo XIV himself revealed in a conference years before being named Pope, his connection with Peru arose by chance when he was only 5 years old. "When I was 5 years old, I don't know if I knew where Peru was, but I had an uncle who worked here and he gave me... my aunt gave me a chullo from Abancay—a wool hat with earflaps—in all colors," Peruvian media reported, recalling the Pope's childhood.

The twists and turns of life led him to land in 1985, at the age of 33, as an Augustinian missionary in Peru, where he held various positions in the Prematura of Chulucanas and Trujillo, where he served as prior, formator, judicial vicar, and teacher. Until 2014, Pope Francis appointed him bishop of the Diocese of Chiclayo, where he served until 2023, when he left for Rome, appointing him Prefect of the Dicastery for Bishops, the body responsible for selecting and appointing bishops worldwide. He also assumed the presidency of the Pontifical Commission for Latin America.

Leo XIV and the Blessed Sacrament in the Streets

"He is Peruvian. He lived in Chiclayo for more than 40 years. He knows all of Peru," shared the president of the Peruvian Episcopal Conference, Carlos Enrique García, who explains that "he was not afraid to approach the population," emphasizing that "his greatest contribution was bringing the grace of the Holy Spirit to the people. He even went out with the Blessed Sacrament on the streets when the faithful could not leave their homes due to illness or other reasons."

Leo XIV: The Image of Businesses in Peru

The day after he was elected Pope, merchants in Peru began selling T-shirts with the image of Leo XIV along with their typical King Kong brand sweets. Prevost can also be seen wearing a Peruvian national soccer team cap. Many Peruvians have even sent their own photographs with Pope Leo XIV to be printed, because during his time as bishop, he was very close to the people.

Source

Cathcon: Opus Dei can breathe a huge sigh of relief after the problems that Pope Francis gave them.

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