De vuelta al barrio, el Papa en casa
Pope Leo XIV is heading back to his “beloved diocese of Chiclayo.” La Capital de la Amistad, Chiclayo, the city where he first served as bishop and, obviously, made quite an impression on him. La papa a la huancaína, better be ready! El papa come mucha papa.
Not bad for a man who eventually went from looking after a diocese in a small city in northern Peru to running the entire Catholic Church.
Talk about a promotion! ¡Dios es grande! Sí, mide casi tres metros y medio.
Chiclayo Was Home for Him
Yep! And still is!
Pero, ¡ojo al piojo! This isn’t just another stop on some international traditional sightseeing tour—meaning boring. When he first appeared before the world as Pope on May 8, 2025, he actually remembered to send a greeting to his “…querida Diócesis de Chiclayo, en el Perú…” And yeah, he said it in Spanish! Remember that, Mr. Trump?
Some people thank their family; others thank their friends—and others thank tanks: The story of Latin American politics.
But, seriously! This man remembered Chiclayo—and more importantly he still loves it—and not Chicago during his first official speech as Pope. ¡Qué bonito!
¡Bonito Is Hot!
So, naturally, let’s just say the city of Chiclayo has every reason to celebrate. And we all do in northern Peru. The former bishop is coming home, the faithful get to welcome their Pope, and somebody should probably be getting those potatoes ready.
Or is it too hot?
Then, get out of the kitchen if you can’t stand the heat. What heat? From hell? Well, not really from hell but very close: from a doomed day!
Whacha talking ´bout, Willis?
That, everything is good…
Except There’s One Little Detail
Friday, November 13.
Wait. What?
Out of all the days available on the calendar, somebody picked Friday the 13th? I am not even sure who’s responsible for scheduling papal homecomings at the Vatican, but, maybe, we should check whether that person has a history of playing practical jokes—or just playing the wrong cards, tho.
A Pope returning home on Friday the 13th? Holy smokes his holiness! Me extraña, araña, que siendo mosca lo desconozca. Now, I don’t know about you, but there’s something rather entertaining—and, maybe creepy—about this combination.
Welcome to the No Sabo Club
Why choose a poopy day? Seriously, of all the days to head back to a city you love, does it have to be Friday the 13th? ¡Qué mala pata!
Well… as if one Pope with a date from hell wasn’t enough, we now have another one crawling out of the history books after 700 years. And trust me, this one comes with some serious medieval baggage! ¡Ve tú a saber!
Coincidence? Divine intervention? Somebody upstairs having a laugh? Or did somebody up there forget to check the calendar?
Doesn’t that sound straight out of La Divina Comedia?
Friday the 13th Isn’t Alone!
What do you mean?
Well! Before our Spanish-speaking friends start wondering what all this mess is about, there’s actually more complicated than it seems. Friday the 13th isn’t even the unlucky date in much of the Spanish-speaking world.
We have our own troublemaker: martes 13. Funny enough, it looks like even bad luck has geographical preferences.
So, What’s Going on Here?
Why do some people are so afraid of Friday the 13th while others go crazy about Tuesday the 13th? And what’s our “chiclayano” Pope got to do with any of this?
Well, if we really want to know this, we might as well bring some historical suspects—just like we did when Mexicans Stole the Dead from Peru, remember?
Our first suspect is Pope Clement V, whose name is connected to a rather nasty episode involving the Knights Templar. A pope involved in a scandal? What a surprised! Isn’t it?
Should we blame the Pope? Not sure yet! You’ll have to find out for yourself! Si te gusta el chisme histórico, you should click on the links in the first lines of this section.
The Pope Is Home, but Is the Date Cursed?
According to the official Vatican itinerary, Pope Leo XIV is scheduled to arrive at Chiclayo’s Teniente Coronel Pedro Ruiz Gallo Air Base at 9:10 a.m. on Friday, November 13, 2026.
His agenda includes celebrating Mass near the Pampas de Pimentel, visiting the San Óscar A. Romero Chapel, meeting members of the Church and university community, and having supper with the priests of the Diocese of Chiclayo.
In other words, this isn’t some quick stop to take a selfie, wave at the crowd, and jump back into the papamóvil—and not because it is full of papas. It only has one papa: El Papa.
He’s Got a Full Day Ahead of Him
But apparently, the calendar has other plans—how nice of it! ¡Qué mala pata! ¿No? Or should we say, what the hell?
Friday the 13th! The day when some people suddenly decide that getting married can wait, signing that business deal can wait, catching a flight can wait. Hell, why not just cancel the whole day while we’re at it? All because two perfectly innocent things—the fifth day of the working week and the number thirteen—happen to fall on the same day. Talk about guilt by association!
Honestly, I’d be more worried about the Pope having to skip breakfast. We got priorities, right? Now, THAT would be a tragedy!
