SCOTT DETROW, HOST:
Earlier today, Pope Leo XIV declared himself a Roman, just as he completed the formal ceremonies marking his installation as the bishop of Rome. As the Pope takes on more responsibilities at the Vatican, we are learning more about his previous home, Peru. The first American pope who came from a family with immigrant roots, Leo championed migrant rights when he served as a bishop in northern Peru. Manuel Rueda reports.
MANUEL RUEDA, BYLINE: Gabriela Morillos lives in Villa San Vicente, a housing project for Venezuelan migrants and other vulnerable families on the outskirts of Chiclayo. There's a shelter for short-term stays, a community center and several rent-free apartments where residents only have to pay for utilities. Morillos and her two kids live in one of them.
GABRIELA MORILLOS: (Speaking Spanish).
RUEDA: "It's been hard for me to pay for rent because I just had a surgery, and I'm out of work," she says. "So I'm very grateful that they gave us a place here."
The housing project was built with funding from the Diocese of Chiclayo five years ago, when Robert Prevost was its bishop. Now he's Pope Leo XIV, and many Venezuelan migrants in this city have fond memories of him.
MORILLOS: (Speaking Spanish).
RUEDA: "He was a humble man, despite his job title," Morillo says. "He would say mass here, hug us and ask us how we were being treated in Peru."
Bishop Prevost was a fierce advocate for migrants' rights here in Chiclayo. Now that he's the leader of the Catholic Church, many here hope he'll champion migrants worldwide.
LISBETH DIAZ: (Speaking Spanish).
RUEDA: "He always told us not to feel alone," says Lisbeth Diaz, a teacher from Venezuela who moved to Peru six years ago. She says that with the help of the local diocese, she was able to get a work permit and get her university degree validated in Peru.
DIAZ: (Speaking Spanish).
RUEDA: "He was always close to those in need and was always providing us with words of hope," she says.
Pope Leo's work with migrants began in 2017, when thousands of Venezuelans started to arrive in Peru with little money and no residency papers. The country has become one of the main destinations for Venezuelans fleeing political and economic turmoil. Janinna Sesa was the local director of Caritas, a humanitarian group run by the Catholic Church.
JANINNA SESA: (Speaking Spanish).
RUEDA: "Our parks became small camps where migrants would sleep in tents with their children," she says. Bishop Prevost created a group within the diocese that looked at ways to provide relief to the migrants.
SESA: (Speaking Spanish).
RUEDA: "He asked different parishes to work together," Sesa says. "That way, we were able to raise more funds, and we were not sending aid to the same places twice."
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RUEDA: The commission set up a food pantry that still runs today. It also helped thousands of migrants to get residency papers and secured funding for them to start small businesses.
SESA: (Speaking Spanish).
RUEDA: "Our bishop was very much in favor of programs that would further the integration of migrants," Sesa says, "and give them tools to build up their lives."
As pope, Prevost is already signaling support for migrants. In a meeting with diplomats in Rome, he said that the dignity of migrants has to be respected, reminding his audience that he's the descendant of immigrants.
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POPE LEO XIV: (Non-English language spoken).
RUEDA: "In a certain way, my own life experience has been marked by this aspiration to transcend borders," the pope told diplomats.
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RUEDA: Some analysts expect Pope Leo to clash with the Trump administration and other governments have taken a hard line on immigration. But theologian Cesar Piscoya, who worked with the pope while he was in Peru, disagrees.
CESAR PISCOYA: (Non-English language spoken).
RUEDA: "He will not see conflict because he knows that it doesn't lead to unity," he says. "Instead, he's likely to call for meetings, to listen and then to make requests for diplomatic channels."
Back in Chiclayo, many Venezuelans say they're praying for Pope Leo's success. Betania Rodriguez says that Pope Leo didn't just provide her community with material support when he was the bishop of this city. He made them feel welcome in their new home.
BETANIA RODRIGUEZ: (Speaking Spanish).
RUEDA: "He was a beacon of hope for us," she says. "And during mass, he would remind the locals that Jesus was a migrant, too."
For NPR News, I'm Manuel Rueda, Chiclayo, Peru. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
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