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A Peruvian Insight Pope Leo XIV

Lucho Espejo, FoC & ACAF Board Member From Peru to the Papacy: A Journey of Surprise, Hope, and Joy

us have. It is a difficult and deeply
lonely journey. Stepping into a world
unlike the one we grew up in can
be terrifying and paralyzing. Our
first instinct is to isolate ourselves,
to reject the new world and the
community that welcomes us. It is
a state of vulnerability. That is why,
in the Old Testament, the image of
the foreigner—alongside the widow
and the orphan—is so often used to
represent those whom the Lord holds
especially close.

Integrating into a community is a
conscious decision, and the barriers
are immense. It’s not just language—
it’s how we relate to others, how
we pray and worship in the Church, I pray Pope Leo Father, Lord of heaven and earth,
and how we live as disciples of Jesus in because you have hidden these things
our concrete realities. I imagine Father can weave a mosaic from the wise and learned, and revealed
Prevost—now Pope Leo—carried these them to little ones"*
lessons from his years immersed in where “everyone” (Matthew 11:25)
Peru. He chose to become Peruvian. He
embraced the challenges this entailed. (without exception) Pride is often associated with arrogance.
He let himself be guided by the Spirit of But this pride is more a reaffirmation of
God because he trusted in Him. feels invited the wonders God our Father has worked
through the apostolate of the man who
Here lies the inverse of our Christian to the is now Pope Leo. It compels me to share
experiences. I initially came only to with the whole world what the Lord
study. But as we prepared to leave Lord’s table. has planted and grown in the deserts
Fargo, my wife, Laura, passed away from of Peru—to proclaim God’s love for all,
cancer. So I decided to put down roots and especially those who—without ever especially the most vulnerable
in Fargo and the United States. This was experiencing the poverty of Peru or
not a passive decision but a conscious the Third World—consistently support My hope is not naive or effortless. The
one. Guided by the Christian intuitions efforts to alleviate the suffering of those world and the Church are marked by
I learned in my native Peru. I dedicated Pope Leo has served with humility. deep fragmentation and polarization. I
myself to serving the most vulnerable in pray Pope Leo can weave a mosaic where
Fargo while caring for my young family. What I feel now is joy, pride, *everyone*—without exception—
and hope. feels invited to the Lord’s table. In this
hope, I also commit myself to uniting
This decision, of course, changed the
way I saw the world—just as Pope This joy is not superficial. It is rather than dividing, to building bridges
Leo learned to see the world from the accompanied by a deep peace. Leading instead of barriers, to walking alongside
perspective of a poor country. Such a Church as vast and diverse as the my brothers and sisters who think
experiences transform us radically. I Catholic Church is a titanic task. Knowing differently than I do—and in doing so, to
learned to recognize and cherish what that Pope Leo has walked through bear witness to our common Father.
unites us as individuals and as believers forgotten corners of the planet—the
in Jesus. I learned to thank God for the very places I come from—reminds me of Well then, let us begin
generosity of my friends, neighbors, the Gospel’s words: *"I praise you, this journey!

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