Christian World | Archbishop Richard Alarcón Urrutia of Cusco, Peru, died on Friday aged 74, the archdiocese said, two weeks before Pope Leo XIV is due to visit the city

ACW | October 31, 2026 — Archbishop Richard Daniel Alarcón Urrutia of Cusco, Peru, died on Friday, October 30, after a long illness, the Archdiocese of Cusco said.

He was 74, Vatican News reported. His death came about two weeks before Pope Leo XIV's scheduled visit to Cusco on November 15, a visit he had been preparing for.

"With deep sadness, we join in the grief of his family and loved ones at this irreparable loss," the archdiocese said in a statement. The Peruvian Bishops' Conference said it "joins in prayer" with the Archdiocese of Cusco.

His body is lying in Cusco Cathedral, where hundreds of faithful have come to pay their respects, Vatican News said. The funeral is set for Sunday, November 1, in the cathedral, it said.

Born in Lima in 1952, Alarcón joined the Franciscan order in 1969 and was ordained a priest in 1976. Pope Francis named him Archbishop of Cusco on October 27, 2014.

Background: Pope Leo named Lizardo Estrada Herrera coadjutor archbishop of Cusco on August 29, 2026. EWTN News reported that Estrada now takes full charge of the archdiocese. ACW earlier reported on Pope Leo's Latin America trip.

Why it matters: Cusco is one of the stops on Pope Leo's visit to Peru. EWTN News said a Vatican commission was in the city to finalize arrangements, and leadership of the archdiocese now passes to Estrada ahead of the visit.

ACW will continue to follow this story.

Sources: Archdiocese of Cusco and Peruvian Bishops' Conference, via EWTN News — Archbishop of Cusco dies; Vatican News — Archbishop Richard Alarcón Urrutia of Cusco has died; Radio Nacional del Perú

Photo: Archdiocese of Cusco