His Eminence Cdl. Castrillon Hoyos has died. While most Catholics will remember him for his prefecture of the Congregation for Clergy and Presidency of Ecclesia Dei--the guardian of the Extraordinary Form, so to speak--he had one other significant encounter.
In this vignette, we will learn of the Cardinal's courage and of the mental madness of drug-lord Escobar.
....When drug trafficking threatened to wipe Pereira off the map, the
bishop pressed for the extradition of drug barons. Dressed as a milkman,
he went to the house of Pablo Escobar [the notorious drug trafficker]
in Medellín. An arrogant Escobar asked him who had sent him. 'The one
who will judge you', the bishop replied drily.
Moments later, Escobar was confessing. Castrillón asked him if he
prayed the rosary, if he had taken first communion and if he repented of
his crimes. He told him that the only sins the Church could not forgive
are those committed against the Holy Spirit.
Escobar was respectful, humble even. He let the bishop record their
exchange, he even addressed a message to the Colombian president: if the
government promised not to extradite him, he pledged to liquidate the
entire Medellín cartel, surrender his weapons and his fortune and give
up terrorism. The president turned the offer down. But what shook the
bishop were Escobar's parting words. 'If I have to kill the whole of
Colombia just to stay here with my wife, I'll do it without flinching.'...
There is a lot more in the above link, by the way.
Which took more courage? Defending and promoting the EF Mass, or facing down the world's most notorious drug lord?
Frankly, that's a very tough question.
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