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.

Leo’s ascent occurred with remarkable speed. Just over two years ago, he’d been one of the church’s 5,400 bishops — a role with no global visibility.