Pope Leo XIV Calls on Bishops to "prevent social or political polarizations from weakening" the "prophetic and evangelizing mission" FULL TEXT in Peru

MEETING WITH THE BISHOPS OF PERU
ADDRESS OF THE HOLY FATHER LEO XIV

Chapel of the Archbishop's Palace (Lima)
Thursday, November 12, 2026
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Your Eminences, Your Excellencies, Monsignors,
Dear Brothers!

I am grateful for the words that Bishop Carlos Enrique García Camader, Bishop of Lurín and President of the Episcopal Conference, addressed to me on behalf of each of you, along with his prayer for my recovery.

Some of you know that there were those “Thomases” who said, “He won’t come”; “He won’t be able to.” But God is great, and His grace is greater than all of us. And I am truly very happy to be here among you.

I thank God that He has allowed us to have this dialogue as brother bishops. You were in Rome not many months ago for your ad limina visit ; now we are here together. I am also looking forward to the meetings I will have in Peru these next few days . Thank you for all the work you have done to organize my visit.

Dear brother bishops: the paths that traverse the geography of a country also run through the soul of its people. We can contemplate this truth in Peru. Its mountains, its valleys, its coast, its Amazon rainforest, and its ancient trails preserve the memory of peoples who learned to meet and exchange their gifts.

Among these paths, one is very familiar to you: the Great Inca Road, that vast network that united territories, communities, and cultures across this vast land. Using this image, I would like to invite you to reflect on our episcopal mission, because the Church, too, is a path: a path of communion and hope; a path that traverses the mountains of indifference, the deserts of individualism, and the distances that separate people. Furthermore, the motto of this visit , which resonates these days—"Let us open our hearts!"—invites us, indeed, to conversion, to communion, and to mission.

But what does “opening one’s heart” mean for a bishop? It means knowing the path to God in order to walk it with the faithful and to allow God and the people to question their priorities. It is an eminently missionary journey, like the Inca Trail, which was not built for travelers to linger and contemplate its magnificent landscapes, but to reach the entire Tawantinsuyu . Like the chasquis , who traveled the empire carrying urgent messages and vital supplies, the bishop is the messenger who bears the Good News of the Gospel, safeguards the treasure of the Word of God, and distributes the Sacraments as those essential gifts for sustaining Christian life.

We can also consider that, just as this Way is heir to the ancestral paths used by pre-Incan cultures, the bishop is a servant of a history of salvation that began before him and will continue after his passing. Therefore, for the bishop, “opening his heart” means recognizing the path God is already walking with his people, what remains to be done, and where to direct our steps to continue building a future of hope for all.

Dear brothers and sisters: for the bishop, opening his heart also means getting to know his diocese by entering homes, accompanying the sick, meeting young people, and reaching out to communities that, because of their geographical distance or social vulnerability, can rarely make themselves heard or be heard: the pastor is called to go out and meet everyone.

In this regard, the figure of Saint Toribio de Mogrovejo stands out in a unique way . He understood that his mission required him to be with the communities , primarily to attend to Christian formation and to ensure that the Gospel could also be proclaimed in the languages ​​of the indigenous peoples. The Catechism, written in Aymara, Quechua, and Spanish, bears witness to his missionary zeal, in communion with the bishops gathered at the Third Provincial Council of Lima.

We know that the Inca Trail is not easy: its high peaks and narrow passages test the stamina of the traveler, whose effort finds relief in contemplating the majestic creation. Similarly, the episcopal mission does not always proceed along clear paths. We encounter pastoral difficulties, social divisions, misunderstandings, and decisions that can be painful. Saint Toribio enlightens us again here, helping us understand that pastoral charity does not consist in avoiding problems but in remaining faithful to Christ and striving for the greatest possible good for people. Just as the hardships of the journey cross the mountains, the cross of Jesus crosses our ministry, but that same cross reminds us that no effort offered out of love is in vain when it is united to the self-giving of Jesus Christ (cf. Mt 16:24-25).

An important point to remember is that this path is not traveled alone. Being in the territory that housed the first seminary in Peru, I think of the bishop, who transforms the journey itself into a traveling Yachay wasi , a “house of learning,” and, as a traveling companion to his priests, does not merely point out the route, but shares their struggles and aspirations, recognizes God’s presence in their lives, and ensures that none are left behind. But beyond imagination, the truth is that walking together creates communion, a gift that must always be sought: communion with the Successor of Peter, with the other bishops, with the religious men and women, and with all the People of God. This is essential for faithfully walking the Way , which is Christ.

In this regard, I am pleased with the synodal process undertaken in the Peruvian Church. I ask you to continue working diligently, in joint action with the People of God, making possible, ever more fully, a Church where we all recognize ourselves as co-responsible and missionary disciples of the Lord; living, each according to our own vocation, in mutual trust, so that authority is not exercised tyrannically nor obedience mere servility.

I would like to refer now to those who have walked these lands before us. Besides Saint Toribio de Mogrovejo , let us think of Saint Rose of Lima: her prayer and her dedication to the needy remind us that apostolic fruitfulness depends on our union with the Lord and, therefore, on the care of our own spiritual life in the episcopal ministry.

From Saint Francis Solano we learn to cross borders to proclaim the Gospel. His missionary and joyful spirit reminds us that the Church exists to proclaim Jesus Christ, especially to those who live on the human and geographical peripheries.

Saint Martin de Porres and Saint John Macias , through their humility, teach us to recognize Christ in the least of these. From these saints, we also learn that charity begins with a simple gesture, an attentive listen, and they remind us that no person can be judged by their prestige, origin, or social standing. In this regard, allow me to address a reality that has caused us so much pain: the abuses perpetrated by members of the clergy or within the Church. We must respond as Jesus would, with truth, justice, forgiveness, reparation, and an ever-stronger commitment to a culture of prevention and protection of the most vulnerable against these crimes.

The lives of the saints, diverse among themselves yet united by a single faith—bishops, priests, and laypeople; Spaniards, Creoles, and mulattos—represent the unity of the Church in Peru and form a school of holiness. They continue to walk with us, here and now, the many paths of the one Way , teaching us to be in Illo uno unum .

Dear brother bishops: In this very place, in 2018 , I was sitting back there among you, and we received from our beloved Pope Francis a fervent exhortation to work for unity. I recall him saying: “Do not remain prisoners of divisions that create fragmentation and diminish the vocation to which we have been called: to be a sacrament of communion. […] That was, is, and will be the best evangelization” ( Meeting with the Bishops, Lima, January 21, 2018 ). Indeed, communion among you, among us, is the foundation of the credibility of the Gospel you proclaim.

Our mission as bishops calls us to be bridge builders, to foster dialogue, to educate for encounter, and to help heal the wounds that divide Peruvian society. To be effective in this, it helps us to open our hearts to our brother bishops: to cultivate trust, to share difficulties, and to strengthen episcopal fraternity. No bishop should feel alone on his journey. No particular Church should live its mission as if it were separate from that of others. In and through communion, the bishop will be an instrument to prevent social or political polarizations from weakening his prophetic and evangelizing mission.

Finally, dear brothers and sisters, the bishop must open his heart to Peru today. An ancient path retains its value when it continues to allow people to reach their destination. We must ask ourselves which paths truly lead to Christ and denounce the false ones. Peru today needs pastors capable of listening to the questions of their time and illuminating it with the clarity of the Gospel, to accompany families, support young people, defend the life and dignity of every person, promote justice, and commit themselves to the stewardship of creation, helping, in particular, those who suffer poverty, exclusion, corruption, violence, and lack of opportunity.

This mission requires uniting doctrinal fidelity with pastoral closeness; the celebration of the Sacraments with commitment to one's neighbor; the formation of conscience with the concrete witness of charity.

The Eucharist is the source and summit of our Christian life. Before the Tabernacle, we regain the correct perspective of our ministry: the Church does not belong to us; it belongs to Christ. We are messengers who will one day complete our journey. Only God remains!

May we never lack time to be with the Lord and to accompany those who need to experience the spiritual fatherhood of the bishop. For the bishop, united to Christ, even in the midst of his limitations, is an instrument of consolation, unity, and hope.

I would like to conclude with three invitations:

First: do not stop walking with this people.

Second: let us not stop walking together, in episcopal communion as witnesses of the unity we proclaim.

Third: let us not cease to open our hearts: to God, so that He may renew our vocation; to our brothers and sisters, so that divisions may be healed; and to His people, so that they may find in you a “father bishop” who is close, courageous, and merciful.

May Holy Mary, Mother of the Church, grant us this, so that all the children of this beautiful land—in the Andean highlands, in the valleys, in the Amazon, on the coast, and on the islands—may find in the Church a home where they are welcomed, listened to, loved, and led to Jesus Christ. Thank you very much.