By Cassandra Garrison, Joshua McElwee and Marco Aquino
CHICLAYO, Peru, Nov 13 (Reuters) - Pope Leo held the central event of his 12-day South America tour on Friday, an outdoor Mass in northern Peru where he told a vast crowd of people who once knew him as their bishop that he thanked God he was alive to see them.
People arrived on foot and in lines of vehicles at an arid field outside Chiclayo, a city 10,700 km (6,650 miles) from Rome, where the former Robert Prevost, elected leader of the Catholic
Church last year, is still described as "Padre" (Father) or "Amigo" (Friend).
Cheers erupted as Leo toured in an open-air popemobile at the Pampas de Pimentel, a desert park west of Chiclayo, where people waved white-and-yellow Vatican flags and used umbrellas to guard against an intense Pacific coast sun.
Screams of "Pope Leo is here!" and "The pope is from Chiclayo!" echoed across the field.
In a sermon, Leo said it was a blessing to be in his adopted home exactly one month after he underwent lung cancer surgery, an operation many feared would force cancellation of his visit and which the pope told the crowd was a "time of trial."
He thanked people in Chiclayo for their affection and support.
"As I look at your faces, a prayer of thanksgiving to the Lord arises in my heart for the blessing you have been and continue to be in my life," he said.
The Vatican estimated 1.5 million people gathered on the streets of Chiclayo and attended Mass to welcome Leo.
12 MILLION PEOPLE AT EVENTS
Leo, originally from Chicago, is visiting Peru on the emotional final leg of a three-nation tour. In just over a week in South America, Leo has drawn an estimated 12 million people to public events.
He declared on Wednesday that the country where he served as a missionary for about 20 years and as bishop of Chiclayo from 2015 to 2023 was his homeland. Leo holds US and Peruvian citizenship.
The pope underwent surgery for lung adenocarcinoma, the most common form of lung cancer, on October 13. His doctors have said the cancer was localized and had not spread, and the pope will not require further treatment.
In Chiclayo, some people camped all night in the field ahead of Friday's Mass, while others arrived early on Friday morning. Many were forced to walk part of the way to avoid cars lined up for miles.
Among them was Karina Chinglay, 40, walking with her mother and two children, all in matching Leo shirts.
"We knew it was going to be quite a large turnout, but we didn't imagine the scale of it," she said.
Along the road, vendors sold hats, mini pope dolls and sweet Peruvian bread.
Leo arrived in Chiclayo from Lima on Friday morning aboard a plane decorated with "#LeoXIVFliesHome" stickers. He will stay in the area until Sunday to lead eight events, including a private dinner with the priests who once reported to him as bishop.
Chiclayo, Peru's fourth-largest city, where agriculture supports the economy, has a population of about 620,000.
POPE VISITS HIS 'DEAR' CHICLAYO
Among the faithful who camped overnight was Maria Esther Chozo Reyes, 76, who took a 12-hour bus ride from Lima and arrived on Thursday afternoon.
"He knows the people of Chiclayo, and he's lived here, he's made his mission here," she said. "We really need his blessing."
Others said they had set off days prior from neighboring Ecuador.
Local resident Luzmila Cornejo, 66, knew the pope from when he was bishop in Chiclayo.
"It's his dear Chiclayo," she said. "It's emotional to see him."
Crowds for Leo's visit to Peru have been the largest of his 18-month papacy, with some 3 million gathering in Lima on Wednesday after his arrival from Argentina. The pope also visited Uruguay on the tour.
Leo, who began the tour 24 days after his surgery, has appeared in good form on one of the most intense foreign tours arranged for a pope in decades.
In Peru, he has enthusiastically greeted crowds on rides in an open-air popemobile, made unannounced appearances on the balcony of the Vatican embassy in Lima, where he was staying, and sung local songs at events.
(Reporting by Joshua McElwee, Marco Aquino and Cassandra Garrison, additional reporting by Angela Ponce, Pilar Olivares, Leila Miller and Lucinda Elliott; editing by Rod Nickel, Sharon Singleton and Chizu Nomiyama)
