Peruvians recall future Pope Leo as disciplined, open-hearted man
February 25, 2026
» Continue to this story on L'Osservatore Romano (Italian)
CWN Editor's Note: Two Peruvians in Chiclayo, where the future Pope Leo was bishop from 2015 to 2023, recalled Pope Leo as a disciplined and open-hearted man.
César Piscoya, described by the Vatican newspaper as a “dear friend of the Pope,” discerned in the 1990s whether to profess vows as an Augustinian. Father Robert Prevost, his spiritual director, “was a very disciplined man; he would get up at 4:00 AM and be in the chapel by 5:00 AM ... In short, he taught us by example. He was very demanding regarding study and homework.”
Piscoya eventually married, had three children, and was widowed when his eldest child was nine. Bishop Prevost appointed him a lay diocesan official in Chiclayo, where he recalled that the bishop acted “with discretion and clarity, without showmanship, but with evangelical consistency.”
“Everyone remembers the Pope as a gringo who was more Peruvian than all the Peruvians,” said journalist Harry Gordillo, who added:
In him you found not only a spiritual guide, but also a warm person who opened his arms to you in any situation. He was a priest who never stopped listening and helping in any way possible. That’s why so many people in Chiclayo say Robert Prevost is their friend.The above note supplements, highlights, or corrects details in the original source (link above). About CWN news coverage.
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