Overview
- Church communications confirmed that President José María Balcázar has a scheduled audience with Pope León XIV on June 18 at the Vatican, a detail given by Juan José Dioses of the Arzobispado de Lima and reported by RPP, Caretas and Peruinforma.
- Church officials describe the meeting as a formal protocol step that would permit the Vatican and Peruvian authorities to move from planning to announcing an official papal visit.
- Sources say tentative dates for a possible papal trip are set for November or the start of December, but those dates remain unannounced and subject to confirmation after the Vatican meeting.
- The president's travel to the Vatican must be authorized by the Congreso de la República before the audience can take place, making congressional approval a key procedural hurdle.
- The Arzobispado de Lima, the Conferencia Episcopal Peruana and the IRTP are already coordinating pastoral programming and media plans for the pope's first year, and a confirmed visit would likely include liturgies, official meetings and pastoral routes with broad public and diplomatic impact.