Two bishops die days before pope's high-altitude trip to Peru

Two Catholic bishops in Peru died in the final days of October, leaving their dioceses to prepare for a papal visit that begins in two weeks. The deaths occurred just before Pope Leo XIV arrives in the country, a timing that has complicated local religious leadership during a period of intense preparation.

Archbishop Richard Daniel Alarcón Urrutia of Cusco died on October 30 at the age of 74. Peruvian media reported that he had been suffering from a long illness. Bishop Jorge Pedro Carrión Pavlich of Puno died the following day, on October 31. He was 76 and also died of an undisclosed illness, according to reports. The diocese of Puno serves communities along Lake Titicaca, the highest navigable lake in the world.

Pope Leo XIV sent a telegram on November 1 to Coadjutor Archbishop Lizardo Estrada Herrera. The message described Alarcón as a self-sacrificing shepherd who dedicated his life to the service of God and the Church. The pope asked for prayers for the eternal repose of Alarcón's soul.

Estrada Herrera will automatically succeed Alarcón. Pope Leo elevated him to coadjutor archbishop in August, a role that ensures succession upon the current archbishop's retirement or death. This transition happens as the archdiocese prepares to host the pope in Cusco on November 15. The city sits more than 11,000 feet in the Andes. Doctors have permitted Pope Leo to travel to Uruguay, Argentina, and Peru from November 6 to November 17, despite his recent surgery to remove the lower part of his right lung.

The visit includes a gathering at the Saqsaywaman archaeological site. Pope Leo is scheduled to speak on popular piety and pray the Angelus outside the local cathedral. Alarcón had described Cusco as a Marian people in a 2026 interview. He noted that the entire southern part of Peru is a Catholic, Marian people. He said the pope aimed to guide popular devotion so it would become a Christian commitment rather than just folklore.

Alarcón was born in Lima and joined the Franciscan Order. He served as a parish priest in Cusco before becoming bishop of Tarma in 2001. Pope Francis appointed him archbishop of Cusco in 2014. During his first year in the diocese, he traveled extensively to urban areas and remote mountain villages. Veronique Lecaros, head of the theology department at the Pontifical Catholic University of Peru, said Alarcón did not speak Quechua well but remained close to the people. She described his interactions as egalitarian.

Alarcón told Fe y Realidad that he would often arrive without notice and knock on doors to see how people were doing. He embraced the vision of synodality promoted by Pope Francis and continued by Pope Leo. He said the approach allowed remote parishes to find their own voice within the Church, turning them into active members rather than mere spectators.