Panel: RELIGIOUS STUDIES IN LATIN AMERICA



1279.1 - MIGRATION AND CATHOLICISM: THE PERUVIAN COMMUNITY IN ROME, ITALY

AUTHORS:
Roldán V. (Università Niccolò Cusano ~ Roma ~ Italy)
Text:
The analysis of the Peruvian community in Rome is situated within the broader framework of a national study conducted in 2025 on the religious communities of Catholic immigrants in Italy. This paper examines the meanings that religious experience acquires in a migratory context, showing how it simultaneously enables migrants to maintain ties with their country of origin and its associated cultural traditions within a transnational environment. In particular, it explores the devotion of the Peruvian community in Rome in relation to popular religiosity and national identity, with specific reference to the cult of the Lord of Miracles, recognised as Peru's national patron. Beyond the strictly spiritual dimension, the paper focuses on the community's organisational arrangements, leadership structures, gender dynamics, practices and experiences of collective gathering, forms of grassroots welfare, and the services offered to the faithful. It also examines relations with the Diocese of Rome, as well as connections with Peru and with other Peruvian communities abroad, which are often organised around the same devotion and articulated through multi-local networks.