Carlos Osoro: the cardinal who rescued a prostitute in a club

New Card. Carlos Osoro is a religious technically classified as an adult vocation. He decided to become a priest later in life, when he worked as a teacher.

CARD. CARLOS OSORO
Archbishop of Madrid (Spain)
'I remember when I started to teach in a La Salle school in Spain. I saw that I could give these boys much more than only teaching them. I could give them Jesus Christ, that is the most important thing.'

A few years ago, when Cardinal Osoro was a bishop in another city, he was much applauded for rescuing a woman who was forced into prostitution.

CARD. CARLOS OSORO
Archbishop of Madrid (Spain)
'A girl with a Latin American accent called me when she saw me dressed in a bishop's cassock on the way out of a hospital. She said 'Padrecito, please help me.' She told me they did not give her her passport because they had it withheld and she was working in a 'club.' I said 'Tell me the place, I'll show up there when I finish working this afternoon and I'll find you; I'll get you.'�

Cardinal Osoro recalls that a few hours later he went to the place where this woman worked, and he was determined not to leave without her.

CARD. CARLOS OSORO
Archbishop of Madrid (Spain)
'I went dressed as a bishop, and at first I felt an absolute and great silence in the place where I entered. It was not exactly a place of prayer. I asked about the girl, who they said was busy with her work, so I waited there. I ordered a beer and waited there for her, in a silence that was so thick one could almost cut it. Then she came down and I asked the boss for the passport of the girl. I said I would not make any complaint if they gave it to me. After a while, they gave me the passport. To this day, I continue to write her and she has a very healthy life and has an extraordinary family life.' 

The 71-year-old cardinal has been bishop of four Spanish dioceses. In them, he is known for building bridges between all religious sensitivities, and for launching works of social aid in society. It is way of working that resonates strongly with Pope Francis.

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