CALLAO, Peru (LifeSiteNews) — Pope Leo XIV is slated to visit Peru in November, and when he does the city of Callao will have a nearly 46-foot statute of the supreme pontiff waiting for him.
The National Catholic Reporter reports that the privately-funded, steel and marble statue is meant to honor “how important it is to have a Peruvian pope and how good it is that he’s returning,” according to Jesuit Father José Luis Gordillo. It will grace a seafront park overlooking the Pacific Ocean.
Leo, a former apostolic administrator to the Diocese of Callao, is making an 11-day trip to South America this fall, five of which will be spent in Peru. He will arrive in the city, but is not expected to spend time there.
“This work will be a source of pride for all the residents of Callao and a new space for us to come together as a community,” said Mayor César Pérez. “May the (statue) be a place that transmits faith, hope, and unity, and may this sculpture become a symbol that accompanies families.”
Not everyone sees the gesture as a positive, with several readers finding it distasteful to erect statues of figures who are still alive, regardless of how deserving of honor they may be.
I’m sure he would prefer the cost going to aid the poor and the sick. They should have asked. He’s probably embarrassed, as statues honoring living people are almost always inappropriate.
— LMU Theo Librarian (@LMUTheoPhilos) September 9, 2026
A 46-foot statue of a living pope sets a strange precedent. Are we comfortable with this scale of veneration before a legacy is fully written?
— sophie p, (@latte_x27_u) September 4, 2026
Further, as LifeSiteNews has extensively covered, Leo’s leadership of the Catholic Church is not without controversy, such as his criticism of the Trump administration’s positions on immigration and war, reported hostility to the Traditional Latin Mass, and downplaying of sexual sin.