Worshippers gathered in northern Peru on Thursday (November 13) for the unveiling of a five-metre tall statue of Pope Leo XIV, a monument intended to honour the pontiff’s ties to the country. The fiberglass sculpture stands at the Gran Chimu roundabout in Chiclayo, which local authorities said will be renamed the “Papal Oval.”

The statue is part of a new tourist route called “Paths of Pope Leo XIV,” designed to showcase sites connected to his pastoral work in Peru, where he served from 1985 to 2023.

His ties to the region date back to 2014, when Pope Francis appointed him bishop of the Diocese of Chiclayo in the northern Lambayeque department. The route will span four regions: Lambayeque, Piura, La Libertad, and Callao.

Peruvian artist Juan Carlos Ñañake and a team of five spent four months creating the half-ton monument, which local leaders described as a symbol of unity and faith for Chiclayo, known as Peru’s “Capital of Friendship.”

Regional and municipal officials joined clergy and members of the armed forces for the ceremony, which featured prayers, music and traditional dances celebrating the spiritual connection between the city and the head of the Catholic Church.