Peru unveils 14-metre statue of Pope Leo XIV in Callao ahead of his visit

A park overlooking the Pacific

The statue stands in El Niño park in Callao, a port city about 12 km west of Lima, on a raised spot with a view of the Pacific Ocean. Its installation was readied ahead of the pope's visit to Peru, and Callao's city leadership says it is the largest papal monument in the world. Aktuálně.cz reports that the bank Caja Huancayo co-financed the work. Polish reporting says the unveiling on 9 November drew several hundred people, who cheered and listened to a choir as the 14-metre figure was revealed. A 29-year-old woman who attended with her mother called the statue the perfect welcome for the pope.

Construction and materials

The sculptors, Rafael Gutiérrez, 43, and Deyvi Wong, 42, say they and their team built the figure in 45 days, working from a design supplied by the city and many photographs of the pope. Sources disagree on what it is made of. Il Messaggero describes polyurethane foam and fibreglass finished with marble powder, while Aktuálně.cz and Rzeczpospolita describe steel, fibreglass and resin. Rzeczpospolita reports that the figure was carried to Callao in parts and lifted into place by crane. Aktuálně.cz says the two sections were moved in the early morning of Friday, 6 November, to the site where it now stands. Reuters noted that the likeness is close enough to show a small mole above the pope's upper lip.

Leo XIV and Peru

Leo XIV, the first American to lead the Church, was born in Chicago, but he spent more than two decades in Peru, first as a missionary priest and later as bishop in Chiclayo, a northern city. Il Messaggero says he was apostolic administrator of the Callao diocese from 2020 to 2021, the link the city cites for the tribute. Rzeczpospolita adds that he was second vice-chair of the Peruvian Episcopal Conference from 2018 to 2023 and holds Peruvian citizenship. Aktuálně.cz says he regards Peru as his second homeland. The tour runs from 6 to 17 November and is, according to Aktuálně.cz, his longest and most distant foreign journey of his pontificate so far.

Aims of the visit

Rzeczpospolita reports that Leo XIV will arrive in Peru on 11 November, the last stop of a 12-day tour of South America that also takes in Uruguay and Argentina. The pope wants to use the trip to call for unity in a politically divided region and to address social and economic issues. Rzeczpospolita describes it as his first pilgrimage to the continent, a region he was long closely tied to. Wong hopes the statue in Callao, a city struggling with crime, will carry a message of peace that should prevail. Rzeczpospolita also says the pope will have the chance to see the figure during his stay.