The night before he became bishop of Chiclayo, Peru, the future Pope Leo XIV did not stay in the diocesan cathedral preparing for the ceremonies ahead. CBCP News tells that, instead, he traveled about 30 miles to Zaña, a worn but historic town tied to one of Peru’s most beloved saints.
There, in a small chapel housing a relic of St. Toribio of Mogrovejo, the American missionary spent the night in prayer.
According to Father David Farfán, now pastor of the parish dedicated to St. Toribio, the future pope was determined to remain with the saint through the night. He even asked to borrow pajamas so he could keep vigil in the chapel before officially taking office the next day in December 2014.
The detail is striking not only for its simplicity, but for what it reveals about Pope Leo’s bond with St. Toribio. For him, this was the act of a pastor placing a new ministry under the care of a missionary bishop whose life had already marked the Church in Peru.
Who was St. Toribio of Mogrovejo?
He died in Zaña during a pastoral journey and remains one of Peru’s most important saints.
His feast day is March 23.
That relationship makes sense. St. Toribio, like Pope Leo, came to Peru from abroad. Sent from Spain in the 16th century, he became archbishop of Lima and helped shape the Church in a vast and difficult mission territory. Father Farfán told EWTN News that both men shared the outlook of foreigners who lead by listening rather than imposing, by learning a people’s wounds and hopes before trying to direct them.
He also pointed to other common threads: Marian devotion, closeness to ordinary people, and attention to social problems. In Chiclayo, Pope Leo became known for his concern for local communities affected by mining and other pressures. Farfán sees in that the same pastoral instinct that made St. Toribio a defender of Indigenous Peruvians against abuse.
The connection did not end when Leo left Peru for Rome. During the Peruvian bishops’ ad limina visit in January, the Pope pointed to St. Toribio as a model of evangelical zeal and pastoral charity. He urged the bishops to stay close to their people and recalled words once used of the saint: that he loved others with the heart of a father.
300 years since his canonization
That language helps explain why Zaña matters. The town preserves not only a relic of St. Toribio, but also the memory of his final days. He died there in 1606 while still on mission, far from the comfort of Lima. Pope Leo returned often to Zaña during his years as bishop, especially for celebrations linked to the saint.
Now, as Peru hopes for a papal visit later in 2026 to mark the third centenary of the canonization, many believe Zaña could once again become a place of pilgrimage. If that happens, it will be the return of a pope to the saint whose example helped shape his path: St. Toribio, the missionary bishop Pope Leo chose to meet in prayer before taking up his own staff.
