Five, Peru - Peruvians spent years in a Catholic cardinal on Thursday excited believers in South American countries who consider themselves a member of themselves.

Pope Leo XIV is a dual citizen of the United States and Peru, where he served as a missionary for the first time and then as an archbishop. This made him the first pope in every country.

In Lima, the capital of Peru, the cathedral bells came after Cardinal Robert Prevost was declared the successor to Pope Francis. The people outside the church quickly expressed their desire for the Pope's visit.

“For our Peruvians, it’s the pride of a pope who represents our country,” said primary school teacher Isabel Panez, who was near the cathedral when the announcement was made. “We hope he visits us in Peru.”

Leo stands on the balcony of St. Peter's Basilica for the first time, and as the pope, the Spaniards introduced the people of Chiclayo, just 9 miles (14 kilometers) from Peru's North Pacific coast, one of the highest cities in the country.

He said: "Greetings... to all of you, especially to my beloved Peru diocese, whom a faithful person accompanied them, shared their faith."

Peruvian Thomas Nicolini, studying economics in Rome, said he went to St. Peter's Square as soon as he heard Prevost.

“It was a beautiful area, but one of those areas that needed a lot of hope,” he said. “So now I expect the new pope to be helpful to as many people as possible and to try to rekindle the lost faith of the young people.”

Diana Celis, who attended several crowds hosted by Prevost, told the Associated Press that he often repeated that he “from Chicago to Chicago, the only difference is a few letters.”

The Peruvian national registration body confirmed Thursday that Prevost was born in 1955 in 1955 and has had Peruvian nationality since 2015. In 2014, he served as the administrator and later the Archbishop of Chiclayo and remained in that position until Francis summoned him to Rome in 2023 as head of the office that rejected bishop nominations around the world, one of the most important tasks in the Catholic Church.

Pastor Edinson Farfán, bishop of Chiclayo, told reporters: "He will be very sensitive to the sociology of the church and will undoubtedly pay attention to the signs of the times."

Janinna Sesa met Prevost while working at the church’s Caritas nonprofit, saying he was the type of person who would “put on his boots and go through the muddy mud” to help those in need. She said he was only in 2022, when heavy rains affected Chiclayo and nearby villages.

He also transported food and blankets to remote Andean villages, drove a white pickup truck, and slept on thin mattresses on the floor. In those villages, Cesa said Prest ate anything he gave him, including a farmer's diet made up of potatoes, cheese and sweet corn. But if there is a chance, he will love Carne Asada – one of his favorite dishes – with a glass of Coca-Cola.

"He had no doubt before he was dismantling the truck," she said, highlighting his car interest.

Sesa added that Prevost is also the driving force behind the purchase of two oxygen manufacturers during the coronavirus pandemic, which has caused more than 217,000 people in Peru.

“He worked so hard to ask for help that there was not only one plant, but it was enough to accommodate two oxygen plants,” she said.

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Garcia Cano reported from Mexico City. Associated Press writer Giada Zampano contributed to the report from the city of Vatican.

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