I was thrilled to learn that I had been confirmed by the now Pope Leo XIV! I could not believe it. He was in my city for many years, and that he mentioned Chiclayo, my hometown, made me shudder even more and made my land known.

He was bishop in Chiclayo and was always present, supporting us in the difficult moments we lived through as a community. Having had that missionary experience in Peru gave him a close vision of different realities, and that will allow him to know how to reach more people and communicate his message with empathy. Also, participated in many school activities to promote peaceHe was always very involved with young people.

I hope he will continue to speak out against injustice and remain committed to current issues. May he inspire more people to live their faith with authenticity, hope and commitment.

When I heard that Leo XIV was elected as the new pope, I felt a great illusion and a deep sense of pride. It was news that took me by surprise, but it was quickly filled with meaning when I saw how friends and family in Peru shared this same emotion. That he mentioned Chicalyo and our country in his first words as pope is something that fills us with hope, reminding us that, although sometimes it seems that we are not at the center of the world's great decisions, there is a little piece of Peru in this new chapter of the Church. This connection unites us and gives us strength, it is a feeling that fills us with joy and hope, something that we Peruvians value deeply.

We have already seen some images and testimonies of his work in Peru, and it is clear that this experience has profoundly shaped him. Having experienced first-hand the realities of the neediest communities has given him a unique perspective, bringing him even closer to the people and their daily challenges. This staff connection and his approach to serving others demonstrate that he is a pope who understands the power of closeness and commitment. Now, as leader of the Church, he will have the opportunity to expand that spirit of service to the whole world, bringing hope and love to every corner, just as he did in our lands.

I hope that the papacy of Leo XIV will be a time of renewal and hope, especially for Peruvians who need it so much. In 2023, he asked for a miracle for peace to come to our country, and that shows the deep desire to heal the wounds of our land. I hope he can restore our faith and hope, reminding us that, even in the most difficult moments, there is always room for light. As a young Catholic, I am thrilled at the thought of growing at this stage alongside a pope who inspires us to pray and to believe in the transforming power of love and unity. Long live the Pope and may God guide him in this important mission statement .

I was very encouraged, first, to learn that we had a new pope. And then, proud and delighted to learn that he is a "gringo" like me. 

I believe that his experience as a missionary in Peru has been very important. In addition, his culturaltraining and his knowledge of other languages are essential to connect with the universal Church.

I would like to see him continue with the bequest of Pope Francis, promote a clarification of doctrine, but at the same time remain faithful to the teachings of the Church, as well as act as a symbol of unity.

My first reaction upon hearing that the new pope is from my beloved city of Chicago was, surprisingly, one of concern. Among many concerns, I thought, this pope has a difficult work ahead of him: to maintain the Church's transcendence in world geopolitics while he is an American! My second reaction was to correct myself and remember that God knows best, and hearing that he had spent 40 years in Peru gave me great peace. His first greeting, full of tenderness, left me more than sure that this pope is ready to face the particular difficulties of being an American pope.

I believe that his missionary experience in Peru will influence his way of leading the Church and it is something that I am excited to see unfold. I believe this pope will never forget those he was commissioned to serve at the beginning of his life, even though he now has the work of serving the entire church. I am very hopeful to see him bring the peripheries to the center of the Church.

I want a pope who will succeed in announcing the good news of the Gospel to everyone: to those who think we already know it, to those who have never heard it and to those who have never imagined that it is a message written for them. I want a pope who will gather the church, in all its human divisions, around Christ.

When I learned that the new pope, Leo XIV, is North American and has lived as a missionary in Peru, I was very surprised and felt very proud and patriotic because the Pope is not only from my country, but also from my city, Chicago. It is very impressive that he is the first North American pope: we are living history.

I believe that his experience in Peru will influence his way of leading the church because he has a broader vision of the world and will be able to lead knowing what countries like Peru need from the church to open more opportunities for them.

I hope that Pope Leo XIV will help to unify not only young people but all Catholics under the Church.

The election of Leo XIV gave me enormous joy, the kind you feel in your heart. As a Peruvian, it filled me with hope to know that the new pope not only knows our country, but that he has shared significant moments with our communities. Knowing that he lived our reality up close, that he accompanied our people in their joys and difficulties, makes me feel close to him, as someone who truly understands what we are. It moves me to think that those memories are now part of his history, and that they accompany him in this new stage as pastor of the Church.  

To have been a missionary in Peru is not only to have been here, but to have shared life with our communities, to have embraced our customs, our struggles and our hopes. I believe that this living memory of what it is to serve with love, from the most human point of view, will accompany him in every decision. His leadership will be close, humble and full of compassion, because he already knows what it means to be at the side of the people, to listen to them and walk with them. And that is the most beautiful thing we can expect from a pope: to lead with the heart.

As a young Peruvian Catholic, I hope that his papacy will be a time of closeness, listening and hope for everyone, especially for us young people. I am moved to think that a pope who has lived in my country, who has walked through our lands and shared with our people, can now guide the Church from that simple heart full of love for others. I hope that his example will encourage us not to be afraid to live an authentic, joyful and committed faith, even in the midst of difficulties. May he remind us, by his life, that to serve is an act of profound love, and that to be Church is to be with and for others. May he motivate our priests to be close and dedicated shepherds, and us, the young, to be a light where hope is lacking.

To continue praying with hope and a full heart for God's guidance always.

A day before his election to the pontificate, news emerged that there was a possibility that Roberto (the name by which he is known to those close to him) would be elected pope. Leo XIV, who lived in Peru for many years and even holds Peruvian nationality, was not considered one of the favorites in previous predictions.

Upon learning of his possible election, I contacted my relatives to share with them the qualities I had researched about him, which led me to consider him an admirable person. Although I wanted him to assume the papacy, his election did not seem likely, so I prayed fervently that it would happen.

The next day, indeed, he was elected pope. The emotion I felt was indescribable. During his first message, when he addressed the faithful in Spanish, he mentioned the city of Chiclayo and blessed Peru. At that moment, I could not hold back my tears.

I felt a lot of emotion; and, above all, joy and pride. I am a Peruvian American like him. We all know that the center of temporal power is in the United States, and now the center of spiritual power in Rome has an American at the helm. But not just any American: he is an American with experience in Peru and Peruvian nationality. Being an American and Peruvian myself, like Leo XIV himself, I think this is a profile that, together with his missionary experience, will allow him to have breadth of vision and a great capacity for action for the good of the universal Church.

Undoubtedly, his missionary experience will enrich his pontificate. He described himself as a "son of St. Augustine" in his first address as pope from the balcony of St. Peter's, and, as an Augustinian missionary, he has lived the daily life of a parish priest in a simple and humble environment. At the same time, he is fluent in more than four languages and has a solid training in Mathematics, Theology, Philosophy and Canon Law, together with a recent trajectory in the Roman Curia. Therefore, he stands as a perfect link between the privileged and the humble world, between Rome and the rest of the world. He wants to be, as he has said, a bridge. We hope that his time as Vicar of Christ will be marked by this solidity, combined with the humility of a good shepherd for the universal Church.

The pontifical name he has chosen as pope is no coincidence: it has a beautiful meaning. The last Pope Leo, Leo XIII, was a great defender of the faith at the beginning of modernity: the industrial revolution. With Rerum Novarum and other encyclicals, he laid down the nuclear instructions of the Social Doctrine of the Church, condemning both communism and unbridled liberalism. Therefore, as a young Catholic, I hope that Leo XIV will follow in his footsteps in this new era of postmodernity, marked by the technological revolution. Today, cultural Marxism and transhumanism threaten our humanity and social fabric. Against this backdrop, may he be a pope of clarity in communicating the truth, charity in preaching to the whole world and unity for a Church divided by ideologies. His motto "In illo uno unum" ("In Him [Christ] we are one") resonates in this line. May he guide the Church, like Leo XIII before him, for many years to come, always towards truth, goodness and beauty.

When I learned that the new pope, Leo XIV, had spent some time as a missionary in Peru, my country, I was thrilled and very proud.

I believe that his missionary experience in Peru will influence his way of leading the Church because, having lived in this country for almost twenty years, he knows the precariousness in which a considerable percentage of the population lives, and from his position he has been able to be a manager of changes to bring to the people of Chiclayo an environment that guarantees the improvement of their quality of life. I have no doubt that this time he will do it again, but from the Vatican and for the world. 

I hope that during his pontificate more Catholics will come to the active internship their faith, and that as the representative of an important institution for the international community, such as the Vatican, the pope will contribute to peace and dialogue among nations.

When I first found out that Cardinal Robert Prevost, now Pope Leo XIV, was from the U.S. and had done missionary work in Peru, it was an amazing surprise! It was even better finding out that he was born in Chicago, IL., the place where I was born and raised. 

I believe that Pope Leo's decades of missionary experience in Peru has helped him greatly get to the point. His time spent helping others in need has given him the background to be a true leader of the Catholic Church, and I believe that he can continue to lead the Church in the right direction. 

Being a young Catholic from the United States, I hope that Pope Leo can help inspire my generation in the U.S. to embrace the Catholic Church again, because in this day and age a lot of young people have lost the faith.