President Balcázar will travel on June 18 to meet with Pope Leo XIV, but the trip to the Vatican depends on the approval of Congress

The announcement of an upcoming meeting between President José María Balcázar and Pope Leo XIV opened a new stage in the coordination between the Peruvian State and the Vatican. The audience, scheduled for June 18th, appears amid reports of a possible visit by the pontiff to Peru before the end of the year.

The possibility of a papal trip generates expectation within the Peruvian Catholic Church and among organizations linked to pastoral activities. The approach also coincides with initiatives promoted by the Archbishopric of Lima and other ecclesiastical institutions to prepare activities related to the first year of the pontificate of Leo XIV.

In parallel, the Holy See participates in acts related to cases that marked the Peruvian Church in recent years, especially those related to the disappeared Sodalitium of Christian Life. The presence of ecclesiastical representatives in Piura during a ceremony of recognition of victims of that organization was part of that context.

Balcázar confirms trip to the Vatican to meet with Leo XIV

President José María Balcázar informed that he will travel to the Vatican on June 18th to hold an audience with Pope Leo XIV. According to him, one of the objectives of the meeting is to formalize the invitation for the pontiff to visit Peru.

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The meeting would also include coordination on possible activities of the Holy Father in Peruvian territory. Among them is a visit to the Dos de Mayo Hospital, a space mentioned by the president due to the pastoral work carried out there by Leo XIV.

The presidential visit requires prior authorization from the Congress of the Republic. From the ecclesiastical environment, they consider this step as part of the protocol necessary to finalize the future arrival of the pontiff.

The Archbishopric of Lima indicates that the visit “is taking shape”

Juan José Dioses, director of communications of the Archbishopric of Lima, confirmed to RPP that the coordinations related to the possible arrival of the Pope are still in progress. During an interview, he stated that “the necessary steps are being taken so that the long-awaited arrival of Pope Leo XIV to Peru can be announced.” The representative of the Archbishopric pointed out that there was a protocol meeting with the President of the Republic and with representatives of the National Institute of Radio and Television of Peru (IRTP). According to what he explained, the meeting served to prepare a musical contest dedicated to the pontiff for the first year of his pontificate.

Dioses indicated that this initiative could coincide with a future visit from the Pope to the country. “The President of the Republic, as we have also seen, has confirmed his meeting with Pope Leo XIV for this June 18th in the Vatican”, he declared.

The ecclesiastical spokesperson also maintained that the presidential trip constitutes a requirement within diplomatic relations with the Holy See. “It is a necessary step. It is part of the protocol that the president can meet with Pope Leo XIV”, he affirmed.

From the Archdiocese of Lima, they believe that the audience scheduled in the Vatican would allow progress in the definition of the official schedule of the papal visit. Juan José Dioses explained that, after the meeting, “the most likely thing is that after that, the official dates for his arrival can be announced, which are scheduled for November or early December”.

The ecclesiastical representative specified that the Holy See is also evaluating other destinations in South America. “We are also considering, as we know, the possibility of it being in Argentina and through Uruguay,” he indicated. The coordinations related to the eventual trip to Peru include activities promoted by various religious institutions. According to Dioses, the musical contest has the joint participation of the Peruvian Episcopal Conference, the Archbishopric of Lima, and the IRTP. The spokesperson added that there is expectation following the publication of the encyclical “Magnifica Humanitas”, released recently by Leo XIV.