Pope Francis arrives in Peru
Pope Francis has landed in Peru for a four-day trip that will take him into the sweltering Amazon jungle to meet with indigenous communities and put him face-to-face with a president narrowly escaped impeachment in December, the Associated Press reported.
Francis arrived in Lima Thursday afternoon after finishing a trip to Chile.
Francis will meet with Amazonian indigenous groups who are hoping he will call on the state to grant them formal land rights and encourage the government to support the cleanup of rivers and land spoiled by illegal mining and deforestation.
He is also slated to speak with President Pedro Pablo Kuczynski, who sparked nationwide protests in December after pardoning former Peruvian strongman Alberto Fujimori. The pardon reopened wounds from a bloody chapter in Peru’s history.
In Peru, Pope Francis will visit the cities of Puerto Maldonado and Trujillo, before holding a Mass in Lima on Sunday, BBC reported.