A pontiff from Chiclayo: How Peru is reacting to Pope Leo XIV

The footage is blurry. The framing is unsteady. And at one moment, another cellphone pokes into view to capture the scene.

But the video has nevertheless gone viral in Peru for one big reason: It captures a goofy, off-the-cuff moment with the new head of the Catholic Church, Pope Leo XIV.On Sunday, the newly elected pope formally began his leadership of the church with an inaugural mass at Saint Peter’s Square in the Vatican.

His papacy has made history. Born in Chicago, Leo XIV is the first pope ever to hail from the United States. But for Peruvians in the northern city of Chiclayo, he is a hometown hero, and the viral video from 2014 is proof of his South American roots.

Under fluorescent lights and scattered decorations made of curling ribbon, Leo XIV — then known as Robert Prevost — warbles Christmas songs into a handheld microphone.

“Feliz Navidad! Feliz Navidad,” he sings, backed by a guitar-playing band of Chiclayo youths, swaying to the beat. “I wanna wish you a merry Christmas!”