The sister of Archbishop Edgard Rimaycuna Inga, personal secretary to the Pope, explains to Vatican News what the return of Pope Leo
By Sebastián Sansón Ferrari – Chiclayo
For the Rimaycuna family, the joy of seeing one of their own serve alongside the Successor of Peter goes hand in hand with the joy of an entire community welcoming back its former bishop.
During the apostolic trip of Pope Leo XIV to Peru, Leidy Rimaycuna, the sister of the pope’s personal secretary, Mgr. Edgard Rimaycuna Inga, spoke with Vatican News in Chiclayo. She shared her memories of Robert Prévost and her family’s feelings about his historic return.
Mgr. Edgard and Robert Prevost began working together in 2015, when Prévost was bishop of Chiclayo. “My brother started working with Bishop Robert in 2015, when he was bishop of Chiclayo. He was his personal secretary during his time there,” Leidy recalls.
After a period of study in Rome, his brother returned to the diocese and resumed his work. In 2023, when Prévost was called to Rome to become prefect of the Dicastery of Bishops, Mgr. Rimaycuna accompanied him again as secretary.
Leidy said closeness and trust were at the heart of their work together. “What really struck me was the quality of their communication, their closeness and the trust that my brother placed in the man who is today the Holy Father,” she explained.
She saw this relationship in their daily work and in the many campaigns they undertook together across the diocese to visit local communities.
Mgr Robert Prevost, then bishop, with the Rimaycuna family
A shepherd close to the outskirts
Looking back on Robert Prévost’s years in Chiclayo, Leidy particularly remembers his attention to people in suffering. She recalled a shepherd who made it a point to visit communities most in need and take practical steps to help them.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, he helped raise funds to install oxygen plants. “The goal was to have one plant. He brought the whole community together behind the fundraiser, and eventually they were able to install two oxygen plants,” she said.
She also recalled how he went to see flood-affected people in Íllimo and other communities after the coastal El Niño event known locally as Yaku.
“He liked to visit and see things for himself, instead of hearing about them for himself. He was someone who wanted to stay very close to the community,” she said.
This closeness, she said, has remained with her since her election. “I think he’s still the same person at heart. He’s very approachable and likes to stay close to his community. He’s a very calm person, and he makes you feel that same peace and calm.”
A double blessing for the family
May 8, 2025 remains engraved in the memory of the Rimaycuna family. The election of Robert Prévost as Successor of Peter brought immense joy to the inhabitants of Chiclayo, in particular to a family who had seen his pastoral work up close.
They had another reason to be grateful. Mgr. Edgard would continue to accompany him in his new mission.
“Knowing that Archbishop Robert had been elected pope was a blessing and an immense joy. We all felt so proud and moved, and knowing that my brother would remain his secretary was truly a double blessing,” Leidy said.
A memory that the family particularly cherishes is the new pope’s first greeting to his beloved diocese of Chiclayo, when he appeared on the central balcony of St. Peter’s Basilica. His brother told him the greeting was not written.
“It came from his heart, from his soul, to greet his beloved diocese of Chiclayo. It is something that has remained in the hearts of all of us in Chiclayo,” she said.
The Pope’s return to Peru revived these feelings. The family was also able to join Pope Leo Edgard’s vocational journey.
It was there that the Pope’s personal secretary received his training. “Seeing my brother and the Holy Father return filled us with pride and satisfaction,” she said.
Private visit to the Saint Óscar Romero Chapel in Chiclayo, Peru, on November 13, 2026 (VATICAN MEDIA)
Leidy also recalled his family’s meeting with Pope Leo XIV in Rome in May this year. What struck her was his warmth and the way he greeted them.
“He is a very warm person who likes to be close to people. He welcomed us with so much gratitude, love and generosity, as he always does in everything he does.”
An invitation not to be afraid
Leidy believes her brother’s experience can encourage young people to consider a vocation to the priesthood or consecrated life. She encouraged them to listen to God’s call and respond with confidence.
“I think my brother’s story can inspire many young people who want to enter the seminary or engage in religious life. They must stay very close to God and be clear about their principles,” she said. “I would tell them to have no fear, to listen, to learn to listen and to pay attention to these first movements. »
In anticipation of the end of the apostolic visit and the Pope’s return to Rome, Leidy said she hoped Peruvians would take with them something deeper than the excitement of these days.
“I would like the message he brought us to stay with us. It’s a message of peace and love and communication, helping our neighbors and becoming better people.”
Before the end of the interview, she shared a personal memory that is particularly close to her heart. When she got married in 2017, she invited the then bishop of Chiclayo to the wedding.
His pastoral commitments prevented him from attending, but he sent his congratulations and best wishes for their married life through his brother.
“I keep his message in an album and cherish it in my heart and soul. He wished us a happy marriage, always with God’s blessing,” she recalls.
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