Photos: Pope Leo visits Peru’s Amazon and Andean regions during 12-day tour

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The pope has called for the preservation of Indigenous traditions in Peru as he wraps up a 12-day tour of Latin America.

Pope Leo XIV has criss-crossed Peru on the penultimate day of his Latin America tour, making stops in the Andean highlands and the Peruvian Amazon.

Sunday marked the last full day of his trip, which has seen him visit Uruguay and Argentina already.

The pontiff spent the morning in the Andean city of Cusco, the former capital of the Inca Empire, delivering a speech at the Indigenous fortress of Saqsaywaman.

In his remarks, Leo praised the region’s traditional festivities and processions, which often blend Indigenous and Catholic spirituality.

“The future of these traditions lies not only in preserving what has been handed down, but also in passing it on in a living way,” he said.

Huge crowds also packed Cusco’s central Plaza de Armas to greet Leo. Though born in the United States, Leo acquired Peruvian citizenship in 2015, after living in the country for years and later becoming the bishop of Chiclayo, a major city in the north.

The visit to Cusco, a high-altitude city some 3,400 metres (more than 11,000 feet) above sea level, tested the 71-year-old pope’s stamina as he continues to recover from lung cancer surgery.

Leo, however, has shown no sign of fatigue since his 12-day, three-nation South American trip began on November 6.

In the afternoon, Leo flew to Pucallpa, a city near Peru’s eastern border, on the banks of the Ucayali River.

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