VATICAN CITY — A well-known Otter Tail County priest had a chance reunion with an old friend during a recent trip to the Vatican — his former seminary professor and current spiritual director, Pope Leo.
Father Lucho Palomino, who serves the Minnesota communities of Pelican Rapids, Fergus Falls and Elizabeth, briefly spoke with Pope Leo as the pontiff passed by in the popemobile.
Palomino studied under Pope Leo, then known as Robert Prevost, in Peru as a seminary student, and the two have remained friends.
In a video captured during the encounter, Palomino calls out to the pope, prompting the pontiff to ask, “Where are you now?” in Spanish. Palomino responds that he’s in Minnesota and adds, “When are you visiting us?”
The pope, smiling, responds by recalling “Chimbote (the city in Peru)” before mentioning Minnesota.
