Pope Leo's Hidden Years in Trujillo: The Theology of Friendship in the Making the First American Pope

In this two part series, we'll explore a new book that gives us the deepest insight ever to the young Fr. Robert Prevost's time as a missionary priest in the 1990s in northern Peru.

Dear friends,

Happy Thursday!

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Oer the next few weeks, we’re returning to where Pope Leo XIV’s remarkable story truly began.

I’m launching a new two-part installment as part of our Pope Leo’s life and formation series — inspired by a brand-new book about Leo’s “hidden years” in Peru, written by his longtime friend Armando Jesús Lovera Vásquez.

The book, already published in Spanish, will soon be available in English — and it offers the most vivid portrait yet of the future pope’s two decades among the people of northern Peru.

Much has been written about Leo’s later rise — his years as Prior General of the Augustinians, his time in Chiclayo, and his eventual return to Rome.

But far less is known about the years when “Padre Roberto” lived shoulder to shoulder with the poor, walking with them through hyperinflation, blackouts, and fear — and learning to see the Church not as an institution, but as a friendship of hearts.

Today’s essay explores how those hidden years formed Leo’s pastoral vision: how he built friendships that transcended class and creed, and how, in a time of crisis, he made the Gospel flesh.

The second essay will turn to how that same formation shaped his approach to power and politics — from Peru’s dictatorships to today’s Trump-Vance America.

These articles take time and care to produce. They’re deeply reported and grounded in both faith and history — so, like the rest of Letters from Leo’s longform reporting, this essay will be available exclusively to paying subscribers.

If you’ve already purchased a subscription but are having trouble accessing these posts, reply to this email and we’ll make it right.

Thank you, as always, for walking this road with me.

It was October 1990, and midnight had long fallen over the dusty parish courtyard in Trujillo, Peru, yet Father Roberto Prevost was still on his feet. By the weak glow of a single bulb, he helped unload another truck of rice and powdered milk into what had become an impromptu food depot.

Hyperinflation had just exploded overnight — the price of bread now twenty times what it was yesterday.

In the shantytowns of Trujillo, panic and hunger were rising with the dawn. But here, in this little church patio, something else was unfolding. Neighbors formed a human chain, passing along sacks of lentils and pasta.

A web of solidarity was taking shape in the darkness.

Fr. Roberto — the future Pope Leo XIV — moved among them with a calm, encouraging smile.

“Crisis can bring out the worst in some, but the best in many,” he liked to say.

And in those desperate hours, the parish truly became, as one witness remembered, “the face, hands and feet of solidarity” for the people.

This is one of the vivid scenes recounted in a newly announced book that sheds light on Pope Leo’s long-overlooked years in Peru — years that may have quietly shaped the man who now leads a global Church with the same down-to-earth, hopeful touch.

A New Book Unveils Leo’s Hidden Years

The existence of these “hidden years” has been something of a legend among those who know Leo XIV’s story.

Much has already been written about his high-profile roles: his term as Prior General of the Augustinian Order (2001–2013), his transformative bishopric in Chiclayo (2015–2023), and his return to Rome as a cardinal and then his election as pope (2023–2025).

But far less is known about the earlier chapter in northern Peru, when a young Fr. Robert Prevost — as he was known then — lived and worked in Trujillo during the 1990s turmoil.

Now, a new book by one of Leo’s closest friends promises to finally illuminate those formative years.

Here’s what we learned.