Pope Leon XIV’s influence felt in Peru as scholarship student recalls childhood encounter and clergy urges prayers for V

Gino Lara Imán, a law student from Chiclayo who received a Pronabec Beca 18 scholarship, recalls being chosen at age seven by then‑bishop Robert Prevost—who later became Pope Leon XIV—to carry the infant Jesus figure during a 2015 Christmas celebration. He says the Pope’s words, "think big and follow the path of God," guided his education and career, and he looks forward to the Pope’s scheduled visit to Peru in November 2026.

In Iquitos, Vicario General Padre Andinger Macahuachi Hoyos urged the faithful to pray for the victims of the Venezuelan disaster and asked authorities to keep sending solidary aid. Speaking on the feast of Saints Peter and Paul, he also sent a greeting to Pope Leon, linking the Church’s prayers with regional humanitarian concerns.