Even the “king of cocaine” needs to confess his sins.
And that’s exactly what the late Cardinal DarÃo Castrillón Hoyos once persuaded the infamous Columbian drug lord Pablo Escobar to do.
After becoming Bishop of Pereira in 1976, one day he disguised himself as a milkman, travelled 5 hours by car to the legendary Hacienda Nápoles, and got access inside his home.
Once inside, he revealed himself as not a milkman but a Catholic Bishop, and demanded to see Pablo Escobar so he could persuade him to confess his sins.
Hoyos was successful in having him repent, and from time to time thereafter Pablo would donate to his diocesan charities.
He argued by accepting the drug money, it was diverted away from funding crime and instead helping the poor.
He even told Pablo their donations “would not save their souls.”
What an amazing story!
Photo credit: JuanCardozo via Wikimedia Commons
