Pope Leo XIV calls for an end to violence during visit to remote Peruvian town

Pope Leo XIV used his appearance in the Andean town of Santa Cruz de Succhabamba to appeal for an end to the wave of violence affecting Peru. Speaking to a crowd of about 20,000 at an outdoor Mass, the pontiff said that "selfishness, injustice and evil are not overcome by brutality, but by prayer, patience and perseverance in denouncing what is wrong, by making our pleas with determination and working diligently to bring about the necessary changes."

He also warned that responding to injustice with force would only deepen suffering, and he highlighted the plight of rural communities facing migration and declining birth rates. "Let us think, for example, of the suffering of those who are forced to leave their homeland in search of a better future for themselves and their families in the great coastal cities," he added.

Peru's homicide rate has risen from 5.8 to 10.7 per 100,000 people over the past five years, while reported extortion cases increased sharply, according to official figures cited by The Associated Press. Security concerns were prominent in the recent election, and President Keiko Fujimori, who took office in July, has declared states of emergency in Lima and in prisons housing members of criminal organisations. The president has also aligned Peru more closely with the U.S.-led "Shield of the Americas" coalition aimed at joint operations against drug cartels.

The pope, born Robert Francis Prevost in Chicago and holding both U.S. and Peruvian citizenship, arrived by helicopter and was greeted by a local band. He previously served as bishop of Chiclayo from 2015 to 2023, often traveling the region in a pickup truck.