In Peru's north, locals remember Pope Leo driving pick-up, playing tennis

By Marco Aquino and Alexander Villegas

CHICLAYO, Peru (Reuters) -The small city of Chiclayo in northern Peru was bustling with excitement on Friday, with businesses and locals sharing photos, memories and stories about its most famous former resident: Pope Leo XIV.

The new head of the global Roman Catholic Church was born in Chicago, but spent decades in Peru. He first arrived in 1985 as a young missionary in the mostly impoverished north, spending many of his formative years in the area.

He became a Peruvian citizen in 2015 when he was appointed Bishop of Chiclayo, where he served until 2023.

In the city, people remember him driving a white pick-up truck to help those affected by floods and heavy rains. He played tennis in his free time at the local Santo Toribio de Mogrovejo monastery, always greeted people outside his official residence and celebrated local holidays.

"Nothing could get in his way," Zury Castillo, secretary of the Chiclayo diocese, told Reuters, recalling then-Bishop Robert Prevost helping get oxygen to people during the COVID-19 pandemic and delivering supplies during the wet-season floods.

"He didn't need a driver, he brought bags of food and supplies and handed them out to people crossing through waters," added Castillo, who worked closely with the bishop.

"Later, when he became cardinal, we told him, 'the next step is pope'. He'd laugh and shake his head. But in our hearts something told us that after he left he'd become pope."

Castillo recalled the pope enjoying local music and singing. He said Leo loved Peruvian Creole tunes and sang classic songs like "Mi Perú" and "Alma, corazón y vida."

On Thursday, a newspaper-stand in front of Chiclayo's cathedral was filled with magazines and broadsheets leading with news of the election of the new pope. "The pope is Peruvian and misses ceviche," one headline read, a reference to a popular Peruvian dish. "The pope is Chiclayano," read another.

'THE POPE ATE HERE'

One nearby restaurant advertised what it said was the pope's favorite breakfast, a fried pork dish with potatoes and an onion relish called Frito Chiclayano.

Next door, the Las Americas restaurant claimed the pope's favorite dish was their fried chicken chicharrón with homemade sauce. "The pope ate here," read a blackboard outside.

Rodrigo Cuoto, the restaurant's manager, said the then-Prevost would eat at the restaurant with other members of the clergy and was supportive of the city's youth, always offering guidance.

"He gave me a lot of advice," Cuoto said. "Always do good, always be thankful, thank God and always be grateful."

Cuoto said the pope was close to his grandmother, the founder of the restaurant, celebrating her birthday with her and her church friends. She even had his contact on WhatsApp, Cuoto said.

"Her happiness on hearing the news, she was beaming," Cuoto said.

Marisela Roalcaba, a 73-year-old retiree outside the cathedral, commented with approval on how the new pope had spoken some Spanish during his first speech and greeted "his beloved Chiclayo".

"As a Chiclayo native, he has given me great joy," she said.

Inside a mass at the cathedral, Cecilia Pataz was delighted at the choice of pontiff, who replaced Argentine Pope Francis who died last month at the age of 88.

"(Prevost) was a very lovely father ever since he arrived in Chiclayo. We loved him a lot here and we still do," she said.

(Reporting by Alexander Villegas and Marco Aquino; Editing by Adam Jourdan and Rosalba O'Brien)