A huge crowd greeted Pope Leo XIV when he returned to Peru during his 12-day trip to South America, and on his final day, he called for Peruvians to respect women and build a society that is also based on inclusion and solidarity.

Chicago-born Leo served two decades as a prelate in Peru, which he also considers his homeland during his visit to Latin America, in which Cathollcism is in decline in several countries.

Local officials estimated the crowd that greeted him on the final leg of his trip to number 3 million.

The crowd pressed against police and security barriers, waving balloons and flags and chanting "Leo, Leo, Leo," Reuters news agency reported.

The future Pope Leo, who was then Father Robert Prevost, criticized both the left-wing insurgents and the government at the time.

He had also called on then-President Alberto Fujimori to ask for forgiveness. The current Peruvian president, Keiko Fujimori, is his eldest daughter.

On the Uruguay leg of his trip the Pope had praised the women who passed on the Catholic faith, he also raised awareness about gender-based violence, calling on men to treat their wives with respect.

On the final day of his trip, Nov. 12, Leo urged Peruvians to respect women and build society based on respect, inclusion, and solidarity, according to Vatican News.

The Pope, who voted in the recent U.S. elections, was visiting Peru in the final days of a hectic overseas trip, after touring Uruguay and Argentina.

          - RESPECT WOMEN AND GIRLS

Pope Leo, the first North American pontiff, who served many years in Peru, has urged Peruvians to value women and respect girls while addressing challenges facing families.

After listening to four testimonies in Lima, Pope Leo addressed challenges facing families, women, workers, and a culturally diverse society, and called for greater solidarity and a commitment to the common good, Vatican News reported.

"Let us value women! Let us protect and respect girls!" Pope Leo XIV appealed to Peruvians on Nov. 12, urging them to build a society rooted in solidarity, respect and the common good.

His address focused on the challenges facing families, women, workers and culturally diverse communities on the first full day of his Apostolic Journey to Peru.

Pope Leo called on Peruvians to build a society where everyone can live with dignity and contribute to the common good.

He spoke during a meeting in Lima on "Challenges and Hopes of the Peruvian People", in the square of the Basilica Cathedral of Saint John the Apostle and Evangelist.

The event included a musical interlude and saw Leo respond to questions raised by testimonies highlighting some of the country's most pressing concerns.

Those concerns included the difficulties facing families, the richness and challenges of cultural diversity, violence and discrimination against women, and the insecurity confronting entrepreneurs and workers.

Pope Leo deplored the persistence of machismo, manifested in fathers' absence from family life, abuse and violence against women.

The pontiff said such attitudes disregard the Christian understanding that men and women possess equal dignity and responsibility.

He also drew attention to women living in poverty and those belonging to Indigenous and Afro-Peruvian communities, who may suffer double marginalisation.

The Pope renewed his appeal to Catholics and all people of goodwill; he issued a direct plea: "Let us value women! Let us protect and respect girls!"

He pointed to Mary, the mother of Jesus, as the model of a free and strong woman, committed to authentic discipleship and the church's mission.