But their enthusiasm more than made up for the smaller crowd when former Bishop Robert Prevost of Chiclayo returned to this coastal city of nearly 700,000 as leader of the Catholic Church. As he rode in an open-air popemobile across the Pampas de Pimentel, a vast desert plain on the outskirts of Chiclayo, the crowd erupted in cheers, many of them waving white and yellow Vatican flags. Some had been waiting since last night to see the pontiff, many of them forced to walk because lines of cars had blocked roads where vendors were selling hats, pope mini-dolls and Peruvian sweet bread. María Esther Chozo Reyes, 76, said she had taken a 12-hour bus ride from Lima and arrived Thursday afternoon before camping overnight. “He knows the people of Chiclayo and has lived here, he has fulfilled his mission here,” he told The Associated Press. “We really need your blessing.” Thanking the people for their love and support, Leo said in his sermon that it was a blessing to be in his old home.
