A naturalization application that the current Pope Leo XIV submitted in Peru in 2015 has been declared a national cultural heritage item by the Peruvian Ministry of Culture in Lima. The decision falls within the period of the Church leader's return to Peru, where he once worked as a missionary and was known to the people there as »Padre Roberto«.
The applicant is the Augustinian friar Robert Francis Prevost, who was born in Chicago. His goal was to obtain Peruvian citizenship so that he could be appointed bishop in the Diocese of Chiclayo. The letter was handwritten on the letterhead of the Diocese of Chiclayo and bears his signature as well as a fingerprint. This document from 2015 is now recognized as part of Peru's national heritage.
Prevost had served as a missionary in Peru for more than a decade before submitting the application. His attachment to the country is shown by his pursuit of citizenship in order to work permanently as part of the local Church. The application thus points to a personal and pastoral bond that existed long before his election as Pope. It is precisely these years of mission that explain why a document from his time as a religious man now attracts public attention.
Leo XIV was elected in May of last year. His stay in Peru is part of a twelve-day tour of South America. He arrived in Lima on Wednesday evening, where several million people lined the streets of the capital to welcome him. The stay in Peru is planned until Monday. It is his first visit to Chiclayo since his election, the city closely linked to his work as a missionary and to the diocese for which he was once intended as bishop.
The cultural designation thus coincides in time with one of the most visible moments of his travels so far. The Pope leads around 1.4 billion Catholics worldwide, and his return to Peru receives particular attention in this context. The Ministry of Culture made the decision in connection with this return, so that the 2015 application becomes a visible testimony to the relationship between the future Pope and the country.
No further details are yet available on the scope or consequences of the heritage designation. It remains unclear what specific protection or preservation measures might follow from it. Nor is it known whether, or in what form, the document will be publicly exhibited in the future. The information available so far is limited to the ministry's declaration and the fact that the application is handwritten, signed and bears a fingerprint.