Peru’s new president welcomed a delegation of Church leaders, led by Elder S. Mark Palmer of the Presidency of the Seventy, at the Government Palace in Lima, Peru, on Feb. 15.
Elder Palmer was joined by Elder Jorge T. Becerra and Elder Rafael E. Pino, both General Authority Seventies and counselors of the South America Northwest Area presidency.
President Dina Boluarte said when she was minister of development and social inclusion, the Church of Jesus Christ supported the underserved rural town of Puno in southeastern Peru — which she said impressed her and deepened her gratitude for the Church’s humanitarian work.
“I am an admirer of the order and respect [the Church has] when doing things,” Boluarte said.
Elder Palmer said the Church is politically neutral and teaches its members to be good citizens.
“We will continue to carry out humanitarian aid projects that help the community and allow them to be self-sufficient,” he said.
The Church’s Spanish Newsroom reported that at the end of the meeting, Elder Palmer presented Boluarte with a Christus statue and a copy of the Book of Mormon with her name engraved on it.
Around 625,000 members of the Church live in Peru, according to the latest Church statistics available.
Other meetings in Peru
The delegation was given a tour of Lima’s historic Municipal Palace and met the mayor of Lima, Rafael López Aliaga.
López spoke about how one of his priorities is to provide water and food to people in his city who are in need. He said he has visited Church headquarters in Salt Lake City before and had great respect for the Church and its volunteer and social assistance programs.
Elder Palmer and Elder Becerra also discussed the Church’s humanitarian and social programs when they met with Vice Governor Joana Cabrera and her administration in La Libertad on Feb. 14, reported Spanish Newsroom.
Cabrera welcomed them and said she knew about the Church through its humanitarian aid deliveries in the region. Elder Becerra shared with her more information about the Church and its programs, and they discussed how to collaborate on projects in the future that will benefit people of all faiths.
The visit marked the first time Elder Palmer has been to Peru. He said he considered it important to know the La Libertad region, where there are a large number of Church members, Church buildings and a temple in Trujillo.
Besides the Lima temple and Arequipa temple, temples have been announced for Chiclayo and Cusco. The Lima Peru Los Olivos Temple is under construction.
