‘He was very happy’: Chiclayo priest describes dinner with Pope Leo XIV

CHICLAYO, Peru — Pope Leo XIV ended his first day back in his former diocese on Friday, Nov. 13, at dinner with about 140 of its priests, one of whom said the pope “was very happy” to be with them.

“There were about 140 of us priests. He arrived very cheerful and told us that he was very glad to be with us, that he wanted to see us,” Father Jorge Millán told EWTN News. Millán was pastor of Chiclayo’s cathedral when Leo was bishop of the diocese.

The dinner took place at the Colegio Santo Toribio de Mogrovejo in Chiclayo.

‘A beautiful gesture’ Millán said the Holy Father made “a beautiful gesture” toward the priests at the end of the meal.

“Instead of us asking him for a photo, he said, ‘I want to take a photo with each one of you.’ And one by one we went up, and he greeted us with great patience and affection, with a welcoming look, recognizing us by our names. He hasn’t lost his memory. He was very content and happy,” the priest said.

Leo “wanted to stay, I think,” Millán added, “but we were happy with this gesture, because he was the one who asked us to have dinner with him.”

Pope Leo XIV with priests of his former Diocese of Chiclayo at their Friday dinner in…