Pope Leo XIV statue built in Peru before November visit

A 14-metre statue of Pope Leo XIV is being built in a workshop in Lima's Carabayllo district before the pontiff's expected arrival in Peru on November 11.

Artist Rafael Gutierrez is leading eight workers on the monument, which will show the pope with open arms, a papal robe and a crucifix. Gutierrez told AFP the clay head weighs more than a ton and said he used artificial intelligence and a 3D model to help design the sculpture.

The monument is to be coated with polyurethane foam and fiberglass, finished with marble dust and installed in a park in Callao. The port city is backing the project as a tribute to Pope Leo's ties there; he served as apostolic administrator of the diocese from 2020 to 2021.

Leo XIV was born in Chicago but lived in Peru for more than two decades, where he was a missionary and bishop in Chiclayo. His planned Peru stops include Lima, Cusco, Pucallpa and Chiclayo, after visits to Uruguay and Argentina.