CHICLAYO, Peru — Walkiria Garcia was 14 years old when she made her confirmation in the Catholic Church, an already significant religious sacrament made even more unforgettable by the man officiating it, Robert Prevost, who decades later would become Pope Leo XIV.

Peruvians are elated after a Catholic cardinal who spent years guiding the faithful in the South American country was elected pope and hoped he will visit them soon in his new role.