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Pope Leo speaks of community 'suffering' on visit to remote Andes town

Pope Leo speaks of community 'suffering' on visit to remote Andes town

Also reported by Al Jazeera

Summary

Pope Leo XIV visited Santa Cruz de Succhabamba, a remote town in Peru’s Andes where he previously served as a bishop. At an outdoor Mass, he spoke about migration, falling birth rates and unequal access to resources, which he said were putting communities under strain.

Key Facts

  • About 6,000 people live in Santa Cruz de Succhabamba, while roughly 20,000 people attended the papal visit, according to the Vatican.
  • Pope Leo served as bishop of the Diocese of Chiclayo from 2015 to 2023 and visited Santa Cruz several times a year.
  • He arrived in Santa Cruz by helicopter on Saturday and later toured the town in a popemobile.
  • More than 40% of Cajamarca region residents live in poverty, the highest rate in Peru, according to official data.
  • Cajamarca has lost more people to internal migration than any other Peruvian region; 729,000 people born there now live elsewhere in the country.
  • Pope Leo said migration, declining birth rates and unequal distribution of resources were causing hardship for communities.
  • Peru is the longest stop on Pope Leo’s first Latin America tour, a 12-day trip that also includes Argentina and Uruguay.
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