Christian World | At a Peru shrine in Zaña, Pope Leo XIV recalled the suffering of Afro-Peruvians, decried crime and extortion, and urged parents to pass on the faith

ACW | November 15, 2026 — Pope Leo XIV recalled the suffering of Afro-Peruvians and decried crime and insecurity on Saturday at the shrine of St. Turibius of Mogrovejo in Zaña, Peru, Vatican News reported.

More than 10,000 people attended the prayer meeting, Vatican News said. The visit, part of the pope's journey to Uruguay, Argentina and Peru, marked a jubilee year for the 300th anniversary of St. Turibius's canonization.

The pope recalled that on the night before he began his ministry as bishop of Chiclayo, he prayed through St. Turibius's intercession to become a shepherd after God's own heart, Vatican News reported. The saint died in Zaña during a pastoral visit.

Addressing Afro-Peruvians, the pope said many had endured "great suffering and humiliation," according to EWTN News, which had a reporter in Zaña. He urged them to follow the perseverance of St. Martin de Porres, who was barred from full membership in a religious order because of his African ancestry.

He also said many families in the region suffer from crime, extortion and insecurity, EWTN reported. He closed by urging parents and grandparents to keep passing on the faith to their children and grandchildren.

Background: On the same day the pope celebrated Mass in Santa Cruz in the same diocese (Pope Leo urges Church in Peru to heed cries for justice). Zaña lies in the Diocese of Chiclayo, the pope's former diocese, EWTN said.

Why it matters: The pope spoke in Zaña about discrimination against Afro-descendants and families living in fear of crime and extortion. Latin America and the Caribbean have the world's highest homicide rate, four times the global average, according to the UN as cited by EWTN.

ACW will continue to follow this story.

Sources: Vatican News — Pope Leo in Zaña: Continue passing on the faith to your children; EWTN News — Pope Leo XIV deplores the 'great suffering and humiliation' of Afro-Peruvians

Photo: Vatican Media