STORY: Thousands of Peruvian Catholic worshipers, many dressed in purple robes, followed the Lord of Miracles procession winding through the downtown streets of the capital city of Lima on Saturday (October 18), and were joined by the contry's newly elected and embattled President Jose Jeri.

The popular religious procession is part of a tradition that dates back to 1687 when a mural depicting the image of Jesus Christ survived, unscathed, a powerful earthquake

Today, the faithful gather outside Las Nazarenas church to praise the Lord of Miracles and ask for his mercy and kindness.

The 'Senor de los Milagros' (Lord of Miracles) is a mural picturing a dark-skinned Jesus that is said to have been painted in a shrine by an Angolan slave and has drawn huge crowds of Roman Catholic devotees for centuries.

The image is a copy of the mural, which is revered for its power to cure the sick and protect against tremors in the Andean country.

"Some time ago, when I was about 22 or 23 years old, I was very sick, so ill that I thought the Lord was calling me, but I promised him that I wanted to continue living, and if he healed me I would wear his purple habit until my death and I am fulfilling that," said one devotee, Paulina Carrillo

Peru's President Jose Jeri, who joined in, swore in the first members of his cabinet on Tuesday (October 14), after vaulting into power last week following his predecessor Dina Boluarte's abrupt ouster.

Jeri's transition government is set to run through July 2026, with elections scheduled for April. He is Peru's seventh president in nine years.

Boluarte's removal last week on grounds of "moral incapacity" occurred amid growing public anger over increased crime.

The anger fuelled protests by young people, civil groups, and transport workers, who have been dealing with extortion and the murder of drivers by criminal gangs.

DESCRIPCIÓN DE IMÁGENES

SHOWS: LIMA, PERU (OCTOBER 18, 2025) (REUTERS - Access all)

1. IMAGE OF "LORD OF MIRACLES" BEING CARRIED BY DEVOTEES TOWARD MAIN SQUARE

2. BEARERS CARRYING IMAGE OF "LORD OF MIRACLES"

3. MAIN SQUARE FILLED WITH DEVOTEES BEFORE PROCESSION OF "LORD OF MIRACLES"

4. DEVOTEES PUSHING SECURITY CORDON TO GET CLOSER TO IMAGE

5. LEAD BEARER RINGING BELL TO CONTINUE PROCESSION OF "LORD OF MIRACLES"

6. IMAGE OF "LORD OF MIRACLES" WITH DEVOTEES CALLED SAHUMADORAS WALKING BACKWARDS PURIFYING PATH WITH INCENSE

7. VARIOUS OF SAHUMADORAS WALKING BACKWARDS DURING PROCESSION

8. DEVOTEE DRESSED IN PURPLE WITH IMAGES OF "LORD OF MIRACLES" SHOUTING (Spanish): "LONG LIVE THE LORD OF MIRACLES"

9. COUPLE ARRIVING AT PROCESSION

10. (SOUNDBITE) (Spanish) DEVOTEE, PAULINA CARRILLO, SAYING:

"I come to the Lord of Miracles (procession) because I have faith in him. Some time ago, when I was about 22 or 23 years old, I was very sick, so ill that I thought the Lord was calling me, but I promised him that I wanted to continue living, and if he healed me I would wear his purple habit (religious purple clothing worn by devotees in honor of the Lord of Miracles) until my death and I am fulfilling that."

11. AERIAL VIEW OF "LORD OF MIRACLES" PROCESSION IN PROGRESS

12. CLOSE-UP OF BAREFOOT SAHUMADORAS WALKING BACKWARDS DURING PROCESSION

13. IMAGE OF "LORD OF MIRACLES" BEING CARRIED OUTSIDE GOVERNMENT PALACE

14. PRESIDENT OF PERU, JOSE JERI, APPROACHING IMAGE OF "LORD OF MIRACLES"

15. DEVOTEE PUSHING MOTHER IN WHEELCHAIR TOWARD IMAGE OF "LORD OF MIRACLES"

16. (SOUNDBITE) (Spanish) DEVOTEE, JAVIER ORTEGA, SAYING:

"We hope that the Lord (of Miracles) will calm all this violence and extortion that plagues the entire country. We hope there will be peace, tranquility and we pray for our entire country."

17. LORD OF MIRACLES" PROCESSION IN PROGRESS