He has used the trip to defend the poor and marginalised, denounce violence and express concern over falling birth rates.
Later Sunday he was scheduled to fly to Pucallpa, one of the largest cities in the Peruvian Amazon, to meet Indigenous leaders and hear concerns about threats facing rainforest communities.
Located on the Ucayali River, Pucallpa is at the heart of a region that has become one of Peru’s deforestation hotspots.
According to government figures, Peru lost 3.2 million hectares of forest between 2001 and 2024 – an area the size of Belgium.
Indigenous leader Fernando Carteiro said local communities hoped the pope would draw attention to their struggle.
“The message he can give is not only for Peru, it will be for the whole world,” he told AFP, adding that communities would welcome a pope willing to “speak on our side”.
Leo was due to watch a traditional Shipibo-Konibo dance before delivering remarks expected to focus on drug trafficking, illegal logging and pollution in the Amazon.
He will also take part in a ceremony involving a shihuahuaco tree, an Amazon species prized by loggers but capable of living for more than 1,000 years, before celebrating a Mass and returning to Lima.
Source: www.channelnewsasia.com
