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<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\nLIMA, Peru \u2014 Though she bears the name of Pope Leo XIV\u2019s late mother, Mildred Camacho<\/a> says she prefers to be among the crowds rather than in the front row to welcome her godfather back to Peru.<\/p>\n \u201cBeyond formal receptions and official greetings \u2014 which of course I would have loved \u2014 deep down, I really wanted to experience the crowd, the lively commotion, with everyone cheering and celebrating. I believe things happen this way for a reason and with a greater purpose,\u201d Camacho said in a Nov. 10 phone interview with OSV News.<\/p>\n While she signed up as a volunteer for the papal events in Chiclayo, she said that \u201cif for any reason an invitation comes through,\u201d she would be overjoyed to greet him face to face.<\/p>\n \u201cBut I am equally delighted to be participating as a volunteer,\u201d Camacho added. \u201cI would love to be in both places \u2014 to have a quiet moment to spend with him, but I certainly can\u2019t complain; I am thrilled to be a volunteer and soak in all that joy. I trust deeply that God\u2019s timing is perfect. I consider myself very fortunate and blessed because our paths always cross again.\u201d<\/p>\n Camacho\u2019s father, Hector, first met then-Father Robert Prevost in Chulucanas, where the young Augustinian served as a missionary.<\/p>\n According to the Vatican News documentary on the pope\u2019s early days in the country, \u201cLe\u00f3n de Per\u00fa,\u201d the man recalled the young priest telling him that he was traveling to the United States because his mother, Mildred, had died.<\/p>\n Moved by then-Father Prevost\u2019s grief, Hector told him his wife was pregnant and asked if he could name his daughter after the missionary\u2019s late mother and asked him to serve as the child\u2019s godfather, which the future pope accepted.<\/p>\n Camacho told OSV News that as a child, she was always curious about her name, which was uncommon in Peru.<\/p>\n \u201cHere in Peru, common names are usually Mar\u00eda, Juanita, Fernanda,\u201d she explained. \u201cMine is one of the few you hear, at least here in my town; I don\u2019t know anyone else with my name.\u201d<\/p>\n Although she knew she was named after her godfather\u2019s mother, Camacho said she didn\u2019t know much about Mildred Prevost and \u201conly knew my godfather was a priest, a friend of my father, and \u2026 that I carried his mother\u2019s name.\u201d<\/p>\n Nevertheless, she always felt that having her name was a \u201cbeautiful gesture of appreciation and love\u201d that brings \u201ca very deep, beautiful emotional resonance.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThe fact that my godfather and my father agreed to let me be named after Mrs. Mildred is an immense honor. I feel very honored. It is a stroke of fortune, a great blessing,\u201d Camacho told OSV News.<\/p>\n Although she was able to meet with Pope Leo<\/a> during his weekly general audience July 1, Camacho said that given his responsibilities as supreme pontiff, she can\u2019t keep in touch as before.<\/p>\n The pope\u2019s goddaughter noted that although she was able to greet him personally, she \u201cstill attended the Angelus on the next two Sundays and a general audience just to be among the crowd, chanting and shouting: \u2018Bravo! Long live Leo!’\u201d<\/p>\n Nevertheless, she noted, \u201cthere is indirect contact through a few journalists who work closely with him and pass along an occasional greeting, but I don\u2019t want to push too hard either because he is very busy.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cIf an opportunity ever arises where we need to speak because I genuinely need his guidance, I know he will answer me,\u201d Camacho added. \u201cRight now, his inner circle is much more protected; that is his role; he is a head of state. He is not only our spiritual guide to follow, he is also a head of state, and to me it is completely understandable that his environment has become much more secluded.\u201d<\/p>\n One of the downsides of minimal communication was evident when the pope made the surprise announcement during his Sunday Angelus address Oct. 11 that he would undergo surgery to remove a lung nodule.<\/p>\n Given the time difference, Camacho told OSV News that upon waking up, she received numerous messages from journalists in Italy asking for her reaction.<\/p>\n \u201cNaturally, the very first word that crossed my mind was cancer,\u201d she recalled, adding that she was overcome with emotion after having seen her mother go through chemotherapy, which is \u201cnot something anyone should go through alone.\u201d<\/p>\n It was hard for her \u201cTo think of my godfather, being an older gentleman, surrounded by friends but without his immediate family right by his side,\u201d Camacho said. \u201cThe press immediately asked for a statement, but I asked them to respect that this was an extremely sensitive subject for me, not just because of him, but because of my mother.\u201d<\/p>\n However, Camacho told OSV News she was moved by messages from people on social media to tell her they were organizing prayer groups to pray for Pope Leo \u201cjust to lift my spirits.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cFaith is genuinely something incredible and miraculous,\u201d she said. \u201cI felt God clearly showing His hand when, just a few days after the operation, we saw my godfather already back on his feet and completely out of danger. Only then was I finally able to breathe easy.\u201d<\/p>\n She, however, found some coverage about the pope\u2019s health distressing, particularly when speculating about \u201cgenetics\u201d and the longevity of his papacy following his cancer diagnosis.<\/p>\n \u201cPeople really need to be more careful and cautious with what they say,\u201d Camacho told OSV News. \u201cI would hear those news reports and think, \u2018They are writing him off without even waiting, without keeping faith in God that everything will turn out fine.\u2019 There is a greater purpose behind all of this.\u201d<\/p>\n Grateful that her godfather recovered well enough to make it to Peru, Camacho said that if given the chance to speak with him, she would \u201cgreet him and ask once more for his blessing upon him, upon my family, and upon Peru.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cJust as I have expressed in every personal message sent to him through mutual contacts, I hope that all the desires of his heart are fulfilled, because I know he dreams of a community that is more united, more charitable, and kinder to one another,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n \u201cAbove all, I want to ask for his blessing and tell him not to let this be his final visit to Peru<\/a>; I have a strong feeling that this will neither be his first nor his last visit to our homeland.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\nA \u2018blessing\u2019 to be named after the pope\u2019s mother<\/h3>\n
<\/a>Few occasions to see her godfather now<\/h3>\n
Goddaughter hopes \u2018the desires of his heart are fulfilled\u2019 in Peru<\/h3>\n