10:28 | Chiclayo (Lambayeque region), May. 15.
In a story full of gratitude and trust, a dentist from Peru's northern city of Chiclayo, Edinson Reyes, shares his account of the bond he has with
Monsignor Robert Prevost —now Pope Leo XIV— an important figure in both the community and the Catholic Church.
Since 2016, this professional had been treating the former bishop of Chiclayo at his clinic on Maria Izaga Street, downtown Chiclayo, where Robert Prevost always stood out for maintaining good oral hygiene and a calm demeanor during treatments.
The dentist reveals that the relationship with the current Pope Leo XIV went beyond simple dental care.
Thanks to recommendations from other patients connected to the ecclesiastical community and the trust that was built over time, the Monsignor would regularly visit his office to maintain his oral health, even undergoing several restorations due to incidents with his favorite food, cuy (guinea pig), a typical dish from Lambayeque region's highlands.
"In total, there were at least three occasions when he needed to have damaged teeth restored due to accidental bites," the professional said in an interview with Andina News Agency.
The dentist added that Pope Leo XIV confessed to him that some people in a town in the highlands of the Lambayeque region had offered him a plate of cuy, and by eating even the small bones of this animal —whose exquisite meat Robert Prevost greatly enjoyed— he ended up damaging his tooth.
"I love cuy, chewing on the little bone, but I promise not to eat cuy anymore," Robert Prevost would joke as he left the clinic, Edinson Reyes recounts with a smile as he remembers the anecdote.
What makes this story even more special is the
international connection he maintained with Father Edgard Rimaycuna, who had always been treated by him for orthodontics and was the one who had recommended him to the Supreme Pontiff.
"Monsignor Prevost maintained contact with his colleague and friend Father Edgard, who —even from Rome— would arrange appointments so that I could treat the Monsignor at my clinic when he visited Chiclayo," Reyes confided to Andina.
The dentist, originally from Lima and holding postgraduate studies at the Catholic University Santo Toribio de Mogrovejo (USAT) in Chiclayo, where he also serves as a professor, expressed his satisfaction at having been part of the life of such a significant figure.
Likewise, he shared that it was an honor for the Pope himself to bless him in his clinic.
Reyes emphasized that when his patients seated in his waiting room saw today's Pope Leo XIV leaving his office, they were filled with excitement and joy at seeing him.
"They would say to me with joy and jubilation, 'You treat Monsignor Prevost, what an honor,'" he noted.
The professional mentioned that he keeps the story and the appointment requests for Monsignor's care; however, he never took a photo with the Supreme Pontiff.
He also highlighted the story of how trust was gradually strengthened through recommendations and his closeness with the Diocese of Chiclayo's ecclesiastical community.
This story shows that beyond treatments, empathy and trust are the true pillars of medical care and life.
(END) SDC/MAO/JMP/MVB
Published: 5/15/2025