Pope Leo XIV at Mass says "There is a close link between faith, prayer, and action...Despite many difficulties, you have never lost faith in God...It is faith that makes you great" FULL TEXT Homily

Pope Leo XIV travelled to the Peruvian town of Santa Cruz de Succhabamba, for Mass, in his former Diocese of Chiclayo on Nov. 14. He acknowledged the long journey of the thousands of Catholics from rural communities in the Andes as “a pilgrimage of faith” to encounter Jesus, venerated in Santa Cruz as El Señor del Costado. The Holy Father paid tribute to missionaries who first brought the Faith to the region.
FULL TEXT HOMILY OF THE HOLY FATHER LEO XIV

Santa Cruz de Succhabamba Esplanade (Santa Cruz de Succhabamba)
Saturday, November 14, 2026
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Spontaneous greeting to the faithful gathered at the Parish of the Immaculate Conception in Santa Cruz de Succhabamba.

Sisters and brothers:

With what joy, once again, I find myself with you here in Santa Cruz. It is like a great dream that the Lord has allowed: that I, a servant, have arrived here, also on this pastoral visit to the Diocese of Chiclayo and all of Peru. I am very happy to be able to meet all of you, the people of Santa Cruz and those who have come from farther away.

In Baptism, the Lord calls us all to be his missionary disciples, from the youngest to the oldest. Those who suffer from illness and other afflictions also give us a beautiful witness to their faith through their faithfulness and prayer. You too are part of the Church; we want to be close to you. We invite you to pray for one another, for me, and for all those who need God's help. May we always be united, walking together as the People of God, children of God, children of the same Father. Congratulations to all; I give you my blessing and will greet a few of you because, as you know, we will have the celebration of Holy Mass afterward.

The Lord be with you.

(Apostolic Blessing)
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Homily

Dear brothers and sisters: Welcome to this celebration and thank you to Santa Cruz for this welcome!

“This is the day the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it” ( Psalm 117:24). In this Eucharist, I come, as I have so many times before, to share with you my joy as a disciple and missionary of Christ. We are gathered in Santa Cruz, in the Department of Cajamarca, in the Peruvian Andes, with its beautiful hills, ravines, and fertile valleys, in a land of Andean roots, where the Inca Empire flourished and which is the cradle of a profound Christian faith. Many of you have traveled long distances to be here. Some have come from rural communities, leaving behind families, farms, and livelihoods. The path you have traveled, besides being a journey along difficult roads, is a pilgrimage of faith. Each step and each effort, in fact, expresses a single desire. Their only desire is this: to find Jesus, venerated here in Santa Cruz, with the image of the Lord of the Side. They have come to meet Christ, listening to his Word, to receive his Body and Blood and, nourished by that food, to strengthen themselves in hope.

The first reading, taken from the Third Letter of the Apostle Saint John (cf. 3 Jn 1:5-8), recounts part of the instructions addressed to a Christian named Gaius. After highlighting his well-known benevolence, he is asked to care for the itinerant missionaries and provide them with what they need for their journey, reminding them that, for the name of Christ, they “have gone out accepting nothing from the Gentiles” (v. 7). The same miracle was repeated five centuries ago among these mountains, silent witnesses to the birth of the first Christian communities, by missionaries who came repeatedly, without provisions or letters of recommendation, to proclaim the name of Jesus and the love of the Lord of Miracles of Andabamba and his Immaculate Mother.

With the arrival of the first evangelizers, from Toribio de Mogrovejo to the Martyrs of Chimbote, the seed of the Gospel in these lands has never ceased to germinate and bear fruit, quietly, far from applause and great acclaim. Thus, faith in the Andes has grown simple and genuine, founded on the daily experience of Gospel values ​​and expressed in traditions and festivals that unite peoples and generations, becoming a character and a way of life in which no one ever feels alone, not even in the face of adversity. We can say that the warmth and joy that characterize so many Andean regions are rooted in respect and love for the Lord's commandments (cf. Ps 111:1), and reflect "a thirst for God that only the poor and simple can know" ( St. Paul VI , Apostolic Exhortation Evangelii Nuntiandi , 48). That is why Pope Francis , in Evangelii Gaudium , spoke of popular piety as a powerful force for evangelization, in which “the faith received has been incarnated in a culture and continues to be transmitted” (n. 123). It values ​​essential things such as the land, honest work, and family, and offers a healthy antidote to the superficiality and consumerism so widespread today.

Therefore, I wish to remember with gratitude the many missionary priests, religious men and women who, throughout the centuries, have generously and dedicatedly striven to spread the Kingdom of God in these hills. Our prayer of thanksgiving also rises for the catechists who, not without sacrifice, often in the absence of priests, provide pastoral care to the communities, guiding the brothers and sisters in the celebration of the Liturgy of the Word, preparing them for the sacraments, visiting the sick, and attending to various needs. Let us pray in a special way for those whom the Lord has already called to himself, whose memory remains alive in the communities. Without them, evangelization would have been very difficult in these remote regions. Let us give thanks to the Lord for so many lay people committed in various ways to missionary work, both here and throughout the world.

In the Gospel (cf. Lk 18:1-8) we heard Jesus speak of a widow—a symbol of social vulnerability and dependence—within the cultural context of his time. Defenseless and oppressed, the poor woman persistently pleaded for justice from a judge who, without fear of God or respect for humanity, remained indifferent to her pleas. Only through her perseverance did she finally obtain justice.

According to Jesus' words, the parable reminds us, above all, how important it is to pray without ever giving up. But it is also an invitation to open our eyes to the many painful situations that surround us. The widow's plea to the judge—"Grant me justice against my adversary" (v. 3)—unfortunately still echoes today, unheard, on the lips of so many men and women. This is a cause for great concern, both for the Church and for society. Let us think, for example, of these places, of the suffering of those forced to leave their homeland to seek a better future for themselves and their families in the large coastal cities; or of the difficulties of generational renewal linked to the phenomenon of low birth rates, which are emptying villages; or of the challenge of the equitable distribution of the benefits derived from the land's resources.

Faced with so many difficulties, one might be tempted to give in to discouragement, resentment, or even violence, but this will never be the path to progress and peace. The widow in the parable shows us that selfishness, injustice, and evil are not overcome with brutality, but with prayer, patience, and perseverance in denouncing what is wrong, praying fervently and working diligently to bring about the necessary changes, without ever losing faith in God. Then, as happens on the summit of Cerro Cotorumi , through the cross one sees heaven.

What sustains the tenacity of the woman in the Gospel is faith, as indicated by the question that concludes Jesus's account: “When the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on earth?” (v. 8). There is a close link between faith, prayer, and action. Where there is faith, there is prayer, and where there is prayer, there is a capacity for commitment to others. You, inhabitants of these lands, know this well. Despite many difficulties, you have never lost faith in God, nor, with his help, in yourselves. It is faith that makes you great in your aspirations and your projects. In this regard, I would like to commend those who, with ingenuity and an entrepreneurial spirit, strive to provide dignified work for people: farmers, merchants, small business owners, and so many others who here, day after day, use the talents they have received for the benefit of the communities, contributing to promoting, through employment, authentic models of integral human development (cf. Encyclical Letter Magnifica Humanitas , 181).

Dear brothers and sisters, the Lord knows the paths you travel, your weariness, your worries, and the challenges you face. He understands the hope of the young, inspires the wisdom of the elderly, and does not abandon you. When the soul wanders aimlessly, He is the way. When strength fails, He is the nourishment. When discouragement arises, He is the one who rekindles hope. Let us ask the Immaculate Conception to continue protecting us under her mantle and that the Eucharist we celebrate may renew faith in all of us, strengthening our commitment and dedication. And may the Lord of the Side , venerated with such devotion here in Santa Cruz, bless you, protect you, and always inspire in you thoughts and actions of unity, charity, and peace.

Source: https://press.vatican.va/content/salastampa/it/bollettino/pubblico/2026/11/14/0917/01687.html