Chronology of Padre
Pio
1887 - May 25:
Born in Pietrelcina,
Italia
1903 - January 6:
At the age of 15 years, he enters the Franciscan novitiate (OFM
Cap.) in Morcone.
1904 - January 22:
Professes as a Franciscan
1910 - August 10:
Priestly ordination in Benevento
1918 - September 20:
Receives the stigmata (the wounds of Christ)
1923 - 1933 He was prohibited from
celebrating Mass in public and from communicating with his
spiritual children; victim of calumny.
1947
The prayer groups of Padre Pio begin.
1956 - May 5:
Inauguration of the house "Sollievo della
Sofferenza" (alleviating
suffering)
1968 - September 23: Passes
away in San Giovanni Rotondo
1998 - December 21:
Recognition of his first
miracle
1999 - May 2:
Beatificaation
2001 - December 20:
Recognition of second
miracle
2002 - June 16:
Canonization in the
Vatican
ABOUT
PADRE PIO
Padre Pio
entered the Capuchins at the age of 15. He was ordained on
August 10th of 1910. He was then assigned to Saint
Giovanni Rotondo in 1916 and lived there until his death. He
received the stigmatas on the 20th of September of
1918 and had them for 50 years. He entered eternal life on the
23rd of September of 1968, was beatified by Pope John
Paul II on the 2nd of May of 1999 and canonized by
him on the 16th of June of 2002.
“I only
want to be a friar who prays…”
“Pray,
wait, and do not worry. Worrying is useless. God is merciful and
will listen to your prayer... Prayer is the best weapon we have;
it is the key to the heart of God. You should speak to Jesus,
not only with your lips but with your heart. In reality, in some
occasions you should speak to Him with the heart….” –Padre Pio
Padre Pio
is one of the greatest mystics of our time, loved everywhere in
the world. He taught us how to live a radical love for the heart
of Jesus and for His Church. His life was prayer, sacrifice, and
poverty. He attained a profound union with God
A famous
confessor, Padre Pio spent up to 16 hours daily in the
confessional. Some had to wait up to two weeks to be able to go
to confession with him because the Lord allowed them to see
through this simple priest the truth of the Gospel. His life was
centered on and revolved around the Eucharist. His Masses moved
the hearts of the faithful due to his profound devotion which he
attained through the Virgin Mary.
EXTRAORDINARY
GIFTS:
Extraordinary discernment:
He had the ability to read hearts and consciences.
Prophecy: He was able
to announce events of the future.
Healing: Miraculous
healings attributed to him through the power of prayer.
Bilocation: He was
able to be in two places at the same time.
Perfume: The blood of
his stigmata smelled like flowers.
A
multitude of pilgrims would go see him and he also received many
letters asking for prayer and advice.
The
doctors who studied the stigmata of Padre Pio were not able to
heal his wounds or give an explanation for them. They
calculated that he would lose a cup of blood daily, but his
wounds never became infected. Padre Pio would say that they were
a gift from God and an opportunity to struggle to be more and
more like Jesus Christ Crucified.
His
beatification had the most attendance in history. The plaza of
Saint Peter and its surroundings were not able to contain the
multitude that attended his beatification.
Padre Pio
is a powerful intercessor. The miracles continue to multiply.
BIOGRAPHY
Childhood
Francis Forgione (Saint Padre
Pio) was born in the womb of a humble and religious family on
Wednesday, May 25th of 1887 at five o’clock in the
evening, the time when the church bells rang to call all the
faithful to honor the Blessed Virgin Mary in her month. Saint
Padre Pio was born in a small village named Pietrelcina in the
south of Italy in the province of Benevento. His parents,
Horacio Forgione y María Giuseppa de Nunzio Forgione, both
farmers, entrusted the protection of their newborn to Saint
Francis of Assisi. This is why they baptized him with the name
of Francis the day after he was born.
When he
was still just a baby, Padre Pio would cry with grief to the
point that his father was not able to rest at night due to how
strong and constant was the crying. His father would say,
“The baby would never run out of air.” Once when his father
and he were by themselves at home, his father was not able to
stop his crying and he set him down on the bed and said, “It
seems like the devil has been born in my house.” Padre Pio
recalls that from that precise moment he never cried like that
again.
The
Forgione family lived in the poorest area of Pietrelcina.
Francis was poor, but like he himself would say later on, he
never lacked anything. Values were different back then; a child
considered himself blessed if he had the basics to live. He was
a very sensitive and spiritual child.
Beginning
of his Extraordinary Experiences
His life
continued in the area around the church Saint Mary of the Angels
which we may say was like his “home.” It was there he was
baptized, he received his First Communion, his Confirmation, and
precisely there, at the age of five, he had an apparition of the
Sacred Heart of Jesus. The Lord placed His hand over Francis’
head and He promised Francis that he would be a faithful
follower of His. The course of his life and his vocation would
remain sealed from that moment on. Padre Pio offered himself at
such a young age as a victim. That year would mark the life of
Francis for forever. He began to have apparitions of the Blessed
Virgin Mary that would continue the rest of his life. He also
made a special deal with his guardian angel with whom he had the
grace to communicate all his life and the one which served
greatly in the mission he would receive from God.
It is
also at that age that the devils began to torture him. He was
accustomed to rest under the shade of a particular tree during
the hot and sunny days of summer. Friends and neighbors testify
that it was during more than one occasion that they say him
fighting with what seemed like his shadow. These battles would
continue the rest of his life.
He was a
quiet, different, and shy boy. Many say that at such a young age
he already showed signs of a profound spirituality. He was very
pious, remaining many hours inside the church after Mass. He
even made arrangements with the sacristan so that he would have
permission to visit the Lord in the Blessed Sacrament when the
church was closed.
Cured
by Chilis
In the
time period when Padre Pio was still a child, typhoid fever was
a fatal illness and little Francis was seen at the point of
death from it. The fever was so high that the doctor himself
informed his mother that little Francis only had a few hours to
live. His mother, even with the pain she experienced in her
heart, continued her domestic duties and prepared, as usual,
food for the workers who helped with the land. The food that
Guiseppa prepared was fried chilis and the workers did not
finish them because they were so hot. To the little sick boy the
scent of the chilis seemed very appetizing and as soon as he was
alone, not being able to walk, he dragged himself to where the
chilis were and he ate them all.
When he
was finished eating, he returned to his bed and was very
thirsty. He called his brother Michael so that he could bring
him something to drink. His brother brought him a bottle of milk
and served him some on a spoon, as they had been doing so
before. Francis, instead, took the entire bottle and drank it
all to the surprise of his brother.
When his
mother returned later to look for the chilis, she found the
plate empty and could never imagine that Francis was the one who
could have eaten them. Although this food could have proved
fatal for him, it caused radical changes. From this moment on,
Francis was healed from typhoid fever and he totally regained
his health.
A
Miracle in His Presence
One day,
while still very young, he accompanied his father Horacio on a
pilgrimage to the Sanctuary of Saint Pilgrim. The church was
full of faithful from all over. Francis kneeled to pray before
the Sanctuary and he observed the anguish of a mother who
approached the altar carrying a deformed child in her arms and
implored the Saint to intercede for the healing of her son.
Meanwhile his father prepared to leave the Church, Francis would
not move from his profound prayer of intercession for the child.
His mother in a rage of desperation said out loud in front of
the statue of the Saint, “Cure my child; if you do not want to
cure him, take him, I do not want him,” and after saying this,
she dropped the child on the altar. In the precise moment the
child touched the altar he was completely cured. This experience
of the power of prayer strengthened the trust Francis had in the
power of the intercession of the Saints.
First
studies
Francis
had a great thirst for learning. Since there were no schools in
the village, some farmers volunteered to teach the children of
the area. Their greatest ambition was that the children may
learn to read and, for those who were more brilliant, to write.
Teaching would take place in the evening due to the need of both
the adults as well as the children to work during the day.
Francis studied during this time. Other children preferred to
play, but that was not one of his priorities. He preferred to
always spend the majority of his time in prayer and studying
during the designated time for learning. Padre Pio was a much
disciplined boy who understood the sacrifice his parents would
make to support his time of learning.
Studies
to Prepare Him for Religious Life
The time
came when Francis manifested his desire to be a religious. His
father, upon seeing the existing limitation of an education in
the village emigrated to the United States and Jamaica seeking a
better economic solution that would pay the educational costs
for Francis. His parents, although humble, received great wisdom
from the Lord to see the path their son needed to follow. They
made great sacrifices so that this would become possible.
It was
during this time that his mother Giuseppa made arrangements so
that her son received the necessary formation to be able to
enter the seminary. The only possibility during that time was to
take classes with Don Domenico Tizzani, a former priest who had
left the priesthood and married. Don Domenico had the reputation
of being a good teacher, but something would happen when he was
with young Francis that he seemed to have a mental block in his
presence. Mrs. Giuseppa looked for another teacher for Francis
and found Angelo Cavacco. With him, young Francis advanced
rapidly and showed great capacity.
Preparation
for the Novitiate
Days prior
to entering the seminary were days of visions from the Lord that
would prepare him for great struggles. Jesus allowed Francis to
see the battle ground, the obstacles, and the enemies. On one
side there were brilliant men, with white vestments; on the
other side, there were huge, horrible beasts colored in black.
It was a terrifying scene and the knees of young Francis began
to tremble. Jesus told him he needed to confront the horrible
creature, but Francis replied fearfully, begging the Lord that
He not ask for something he would not accomplish victoriously.
Jesus repeated his petition, letting him know that He would be
on his side. Francis, then, began a fierce combat, the pains
inflicted in his body were intolerable, but he came out
triumphant. Jesus warned Francis that he would combat again with
this devil throughout his entire life and told him not to be
afraid, “I will be protecting you, helping you, always on
your side until the end of the world.” This
particular vision petrified Padre Pio for 20 years.
The day
before entering the seminary, Francis had a vision of Jesus with
his Blessed Mother. In this vision, Jesus placed His hand on
Francis’ shoulder, giving him courage and strength to move on.
The Virgin Mary, on her part, spoke to him softly, subtly, and
maternally, penetrating the deepest part of his soul.
Entrance
into the Novitiate of Morcone
Padre Pio
always walked the narrow path, not allowing any luxuries or
anything that could make him stray from his relationship with
Jesus. At the age of 15, Francis had advanced enough to be able
to enter the seminary; he would become a Capuchin Friar. He
entered the Franciscan Order of Morcone on the 3rd of
January 1902. Nineteen days after his entrance, on the 22nd
of January 1902, Francis received the Franciscan habit which is
made in the form of a cross and he perceived that from that
moment his life would be “crucified in Christ.” He took the
religious name Friar Pio of Pietrelcina in honor of Saint Pius
V.
The
Capuchin Fraternity in which he entered was one of the most
austere of the Franciscan Order and one of the most faithful to
the original rule of Saint Francis of Assisi. Fasting and
penance were regular practices. Friar Pio embraced all the forms
of self-privation, always eating very little. On one occasion he
was nourished solely from the Eucharist for 20 days and although
he was physically weak, he would participate in class with
obvious happiness. It was one of the best times of his life,
“I am immensely happy when I suffer, and if I consent to the
impulses of my heart, I would ask that Jesus give me all the
suffering of mankind.”
First
Bilocation
In 1905,
only two years after having entered the seminary, Friar Pio
experienced for the first time a bilocation. While praying
accompanied by another friar one cold night of January around
11pm, he found himself very far away in a very elegant house in
which a father was agonizing at the same time his daughter was
being born. Our Blessed Mother appeared to Friar Pio telling
him, “I entrust to your care this creature; she is an
unpolished precious stone. Work in her, instruct her, make her
shine as much as possible because one day I want to adorn myself
with her.” To which he answered, “How
could this be if I am a poor student and I still do not even
know if I will be fortunate to become a priest? And if I don’t
become a priest, how can I take care of this poor little girl so
far away?” The Virgin Mary answered, “Do
not doubt. She will come to you, but you will meet her
beforehand in the Basilica of Saint Peter.” Immediately
he found himself back where he had been praying minutes before.
Eighteen
years later this now young lady showed up in the Basilica of
Saint Peter, tired and looking for a priest with whom she could
confess and receive spiritual direction. It was already late and
the basilica was going to close, she looked around and saw a
friar entering the confessional and closing the door. The young
lady approached him and began to share her problems with him.
The priest absolved her from her sins and gave her the blessing.
In gratitude, the young lady wanted to kiss his hand, but upon
opening the confessional she only found an empty chair.
One year
later, the young lady went on a pilgrimage to Saint Giovanni Rotondo. Padre Pio was walking through the halls of the cells
full of pilgrims and upon seeing the young lady amongst them, he
pointed her out and said, “I know you. You were born the
day your father died.” The young lady, surprised,
waited a long time to be able to confess with Padre Pio and
clarify her concerns. Padre Pio welcomed her in the confessional
with these words, “My daughter, you have finally come; I
have waited so many years for you!" The young
lady even more surprised expressed that he was wrong, this being
the first time she visited Saint Giovanni, to which Padre Pio
answered, “You already know me, you came last year to the
Basilica of Saint Peter.”
The young
lady became his spiritual daughter, always obeying his advice.
She married and formed a solid and exemplary Christian family.
Priestly
Ordination
On the 10th
of August of 1910, Padre Pio was ordained a priest in the
Cathedral of Benevento, Italy. That afternoon he wrote this
prayer, “Oh Jesus, my yearning and my life, I ask you to
make of me a holy priest and a perfect victim.”
The day
of his ordination, his father was in America, but his mother,
his brother Miguel and his wife, and his three sisters were with
him on that special day. At the end of the Holy Mass, his
mother and his siblings approached the banister to receive their
first blessing. His mother was not able to hold her tears from
so much emotion as well as from the pain of thinking about the
absence of her husband whose sacrifice made possible the
ordination of his son.
As was
usual, the newly ordained priest celebrated his first Mass in
his hometown church. For Padre Pio it was in Saint Maria of the
Angels, the same church where 23 years prior he had been
baptized, where he received his First Communion and the
Sacrament of Confirmation.
Padre Pio
would tell his spiritual children “If you desire to attend
the Holy Mass with devotion and obtain fruits, think of the
Sorrowful Mother at the foot of Calvary.”
Back
in Pietrelcina
The more
the young priest climbed to perfection, the more he was
threatened by the devil. The more he was tormented by Satan, the
more he grew in faith and love for the Lord. Shortly after his
ordination, his fevers and the ills that always made him suffer
during his studies came back. He was sent to his hometown
Pietrelcina so that he could regain his health.
Every
time the attempt was made to reinstate him to religious life in
the monastery, they failed since his health became worse. His
priestly life in Pietrelcina included much prayer accompanied by
many religious works, such as theological studies, catechism for
the town’s children and meetings with individuals and families.
During
this time period in Pietrelcina, his former professor, the
former priest, Tizzani, was agonizing. His daughter, seeing how
close to death he was, called Padre Pio so that he could help
her father since Padre Pio was providentially passing by her
house at that time. The dying man received from Padre Pio the
grace of God and the eternal salvation of his soul. He made his
confession with tears of repentance and died in peace.
First
Apparition of the Stigmatas
During his
first priestly ministry, in 1910, Padre Pio manifested the first
symptoms of the stigmatas. In a letter he wrote to his spiritual
director he described them as follows, “In the middle of
my hands a red stain appeared the size of a penny accompanied by
an intense pain. I also felt much pain beneath my feet.”
These pains in the hands and feet of Padre Pio were the first
accounts of the stigmatas that were visible until 1918.
One time,
the pain that Padre Pio experienced was so sharp that he shook
his hands which felt like they were burning. His mother asked
him, “What is that? Do you play the guitar now?” Padre Pio did
not respond.
This time
in his hometown was a period of great spiritual battles with the
devil but also of great consolations through ecstasies and
mystical phenomena, both interior as well as exterior ones,
spiritual and physical. The devil would appear to him in various
ways. Sometimes he would appear in the form of animals, of women
dancing impure dances, of jailers who would.
His
Return to Monastic Life
On
February 17th of 1916, Padre Pio left Pietrelcina and
headed towards Foggia, to where the superiors called him so that
he may offer a spiritual service. Thanks to the prayers of
Rafaelina Cerase, a very sick lady who was near death, Padre Pio
was able to return definitively to community life. This good
woman offered herself to God as a victim so that Padre Pio could
listen to confessions and thus provide a great benefit for
souls.
Although
Padre Pio was never able to return to Pietrelcina, his love for
it never diminished. During the Second World War, Padre Pio said
in reference to his town, “Pietrelcina will be preserved
like the apple of my eyes.” Before dying, he spoke
prophetically, “During my life I have favored Saint Giovanni
Rotondo. After my death, I will favor Pietrelcina.”
First
Visit to Saint Giovanni Rotondo
On July 28th
of 1916, Padre Pio arrived at Saint Giovanni Rotondo for the
first time. Saint Giovanni Rotondo was back then a small village
in the peninsula of Gargano, surrounded by very poor homes, with
no lights, no drinkable water, no piping system, no paved roads,
and with no means of modern communication, very similar to the
lifestyle of the small villages back then. The monastery is
located about two kilometers from the town and to go there you
had to go by donkey. The monastery included one small and rustic
church named Our Lady of Grace from the 14th
century.
Permanent
Return to Saint Giovanni Rotondo
Padre Pio
was invited to Saint Giovanni by Father Guardian and his brief
visit was from July 28 to August 5. During this visit the health
of Padre Pio seemed to have improved somewhat, something which
pleased the Provincial Father and he ordered that under
obedience, Padre Pio return to Saint Giovanni for some time
until his health improved. Padre Pio returned to the Monastery
of Gargano on September 4th of 1916. In the designs
of the Lord, what was at first thought of as something temporary
lasted 52 years until the death of Padre Pio.
Military
Experience
Padre Pio
was called to the military three times during the First World
War and the three times he was sent back after a brief period
due to health reasons. The last time he was called his health
deteriorated so much that the doctors themselves discharged him
to “allow him to die in peace at home.” The short time he was in
the military caused great pains in his soul due to the hardness
of hearts of the soldiers, the blasphemies he heard, and being
away from monastic life. Another great pain was not being able
to offer Mass every day. Padre Pio was discharged from the
military with papers that testify to his conduct, his honor, and
fidelity for his country although he was saved from desertion
charges for not reporting himself to an appointment due to a
mistake from the mailperson of Saint Giovanni Rotondo who did
not know that Francisco Forgione and Padre Pio were the same
person and that is why he did not know to whom to give the
appointment.
The
Minor Seminary
Padre Pio
served as spiritual father of young men who were part of the
minor seminary which at that time was in Saint Giovanni Rotondo.
He was in charge of providing them with meditations, of
confessing them, and of having spiritual conversations with
them. He prayed much and watched their spiritual growth. He even
went to the point of asking permission to offer himself as a
victim to the Lord for the perfection of this group whom he, as
he would say himself, “loved with tenderness.”
One day
when he went out for a stroll with the young men he told them,
“One of you pierced my heart.” They were left perplexed
before such a commentary, but they did not dare ask who the
guilty one was. “One of you this morning made a sacrilegious
Communion. To think that it was me who gave it to him during the
Mass.” The guilty young man knelt down and confessed his
guilt. Padre Pio made a sign to the others so that they go back.
It was right there on the street that he heard his confession
and restored him to the grace of God.
Transverberation
of the Heart
Transverberation is an extraordinary grace that some saints like
Saint Teresa of Jesus and Saint John of the Cross have received.
The heart of the person chosen by God is pierced by a mysterious
lance or what is experienced as a dart that upon penetrating
leaves behind a wound of love that burns meanwhile the soul is
elevated to the highest levels of the contemplation of love and
pain.
Padre Pio received this extraordinary grace on August 5th
of 1918. With simplicity, Padre Pio narrated the following to
his spiritual director, “I was listening to the confessions
of the young men the night of the 5th of August when
all of a sudden I was very frightened upon seeing with the eyes
of my mind a celestial visitor who appeared right in front of
me. In his hand he carried something like an iron lance with a
very sharp tip. It seemed as if fire was coming out of the tip.
I saw the person thrust the lance violently in my soul. I could
barely complain when I felt I was dying. I told the young man to
leave the confessional because I felt very sick and did not have
the strength to continue. This martyrdom lasted without any
interruptions until the morning of the 7th of August.
From that day I felt a great affliction and a wound in my soul
that is always open and causes me agony.”
The
Stigmatas of Christ
What
undoubtedly has made Padre Pio famous is the phenomenon of the
stigmatas: the five wounds of Christ Crucified he visibly
carried on his body for 50 years.
A little over a month after
receiving the piercing of the heart, Padre Pio received the now
visible signs of the Passion of Christ.
Padre Pio
described this phenomenon and spiritual grace to his director
out of obedience, “It was the morning of the 20th
of September of 1918. I was in the chapel praying the prayer of
thanksgiving for the Mass and I felt little by little that I was
elevated to a softer prayer. Suddenly, a great light blinded me
and Christ who was bleeding in all parts appeared to me. From
his wounded Body came out rays of light that looked like arrows
that hurt my feet, hands, and side.
When
I returned to myself, I found myself on the floor and full of
wounds. My hands, feet, and side bled and they hurt even enough
to make me lose all my strength to stand up. I felt as if I was
dying, and I would have died if the Lord would not have come to
support my heart that I felt palpitating strongly in my chest.
I crawled on the floor until I arrived at my cell. I laid down
and I prayed, I saw once again my wounds and I cried, elevating
hymns of gratitude to God.”
The stigmatas of Padre Pio were deep wounds in the center of his
hands, feet, and left side. He had hands and feet which were
literally pierced and living blood came out from both sides,
making Padre Pio the first priest with stigmatas in the history
of the Church (Saint Francis of Assisi was not a priest).
The
provincial of the Capuchins of Foggia invited Professor Romanelli, a physician and director of a prestigious hospital so
that he could study the case and give his opinion. Doctor
Romanelli did not have the slightest doubt of the supernatural
character of the phenomenon. Shortly afterwards, the General
Curia of the Capuchins in Rome sent another specialist to Saint
Giovanni Rotondo, professor Jorge Festa. His conclusions were
that “the stigmatas of Padre Pio had an origin which
scientific knowledge was very far from being to explain. The
reason for their existence goes beyond human science.”
News of Padre Pio’s
stigmatas spread rapidly. Soon afterwards, thousands of people
went to Saint Giovanni Rotondo to see him, kiss his hands,
confess with him, and attend his Masses.
The word
STIGMATA comes from the Greek and it means “mark” or “sign on
the body,” and it was the result of the seal of a hot iron with
which slaves were marked. In a medical sense, stigmata means a
reddish stain over the skin that is caused because blood exists
the vessels by a strong nervous influence, but never to the
point of perforation. The stigmatas the mystics have had are
real lesions of the skin and tissues, true wounds that, like in
this case, have been described by Doctors Romanelli and Festa.
The
Holy See Intervenes in the Investigations
After
minute investigations, the Holy See wanted to intervene
directly. Back then, Father Augustin Gimelli, a Franciscan,
physician, founder of the Catholic University of Milan and
great friend of Pope Pius XI, was a great celebrity in matters
of experimental psychology.
Father Gimelli went to visit Padre Pio, but since he did not have
written permission to examine his wounds, he refused to show
them to him. Father Gimelli left Saint Giovanni with the idea
that the stigmatas were false, of neurotic nature, and he
published his idea in an article in a very popular magazine. The
Holy Office made use of the opinion of this great psychologist
and made public a decree which declared the little proof of the
supernatural nature of the facts.
First
Great Proof; Ten Years of Isolation
During the
following years, there were three other decrees and the last one
was condemning, prohibiting visits to Padre Pio or maintaining
any relationship with him, even in letters. Consequently, Padre
Pio spent ten years, from 1923 to 1933, completely isolated from
the exterior world within the walls of his cell. During these
years, he not only suffered the pains of the Passion of the Lord
in his body, but he also felt in his soul the pain of isolation
and the weight of suspition. His humility, obedience, and
charity never denied the accusations.
The
Sacrifice of the Mass
Padre Pio
awoke every morning at 3:30am and he prayed the Divine Office
for the readings. He was a prayerful priest and lover of prayer.
He would repeatedly say, “Prayer is the bread and life of
the soul; it is the breath of the heart. I do not want to be
anything more than this, a friar who loves.” He
celebrated the Holy Mass in the mornings accompanied by two
religious. Everyone wanted to see him and touch him, but his
presence inspired so much respect that no one dared to move in
the slightest. Mass lasted almost two hours and all of those
present would submerge in a particular way into the mystery of
the sacrifice of Christ, multitudes would gather tightly around
the altar holding their breath. Even though no essential
difference exists in the celebration of the Holy Mass from any
other priest because the priest and the victim is always Christ,
with Padre Pio the image of the Savior, pierced in his hands,
feet, and side, was more transparent.
Padre Pio
lived the Holy Mass, suffering the pains of the Crucified and
giving a profound sense to the liturgical prayers of the Church.
In the annals of the Church, Padre Pio is the first priest with
stigmatas; he was in essence a priest, and his holiness was
essentially priestly. All of his life revolved around this
reality in which he offered his mouth, his hands, and his eyes
to Christ. When he would say, “This is my Body…This is my
Blood,” his countenance would transfigure. Waves of emotions
would toss him, all of his body would project itself in a mute
imploration. “The Mass,” he said once to a spiritual
son, “is Christ on the Cross, with Mary and John at the foot
of the same one and the angels in adoration. Let us cry of love
and adoration in this contemplation.” Meanwhile the Father
celebrated the Holy Sacrifice, time seemed to detain itself.
One time Padre Pio was asked how he could spend so much time
standing on his wounds during the entire Holy Mass. To this he
responded, “My daughter, during the Mass I am not standing, I
am hung with Jesus on the Cross.”
Padre Pio
loved Jesus with so much strength that he experienced in his own
body a true hunger and thirst for Him. “I have such a hunger
and thirst before I receive Jesus that I could soon die of
anguish. And precisely because I could not be without uniting
myself to Jesus, I often, even with fevers, see myself obliged
to go and nourish myself with his body.” Padre Pio would say
that “the world can survive without the sun, but never
without the Mass.”
In one
occasion, he was asked if the Blessed Virgin Mary was present
during the Holy Mass and he responded, “Yes, she places
herself at a side, but I can see her, what a joy. She is always
present. How can it be that the Mother of Jesus, present in
Calvary at the foot of the Cross, who offered her Son as a
victim for the salvation of our souls, not be present in the
mystical calvary of the altar?”
Martyr
of the Sacrament of Mercy
Whoever
participated in the celebration of the Eucharist with Padre Pio
could not remain at ease in his or her sin. After the Holy Mass,
Padre Pio sat down in the confessional for long hours, giving
preference to men whom he said were in most need of confession.
Being so many who went to confession it was necessary to
establish order and confessing with Padre Pio easily took three
or four hours of waiting.
There are
many impressive testimonies and moving conversations generated
through confessions with Padre Pio. He was severe with the
curious, the hypcrites, and the liars, and loving and
compassionate with those who truly repented. One of the gifts
that impressed the people the most was that he could read
people’s hearts.
One time
Padre Pio was asked why he threw out the penitents from the
confessional without giving them absolution, and he responded,
“I throw them out, but I accompany them with prayer and
suffering, and they come back.” The anger was only
superficial. He explained once to one brother, “My son, I
have taken up a different form only in the exterior. The
interior has not moved at all. If I do not do it this way, they
do not convert to God. It is better to be reproached by a man in
this world, than to be reproached by God in the other one.”
An example of this occurred one day when Padre Pio noticed a
young man who was crying while not mindful of the people around
him. Padre Pio approached him and asked him why he was crying.
The young man replied that “he cried because he had not received
absolution.” Padre Pio consoled him with tenderness and said,
“Son, see, I have not denied you absolution so that I could
send you to hell but rather to Paradise.”
The Apostolate
of Happiness
Padre Pio
was a man very harsh against all type of sin, but at the same
time tender, jovial, and a lover of life. He was a brilliant
conversationalist, with the astuteness of maintaining his
listeners in suspense. He enjoyed jokes very much, and in his
repertoire, there were always some that referred to soldiers,
politicians, and religious. From the mouth of Padre Pio, jokes
and anecdotes were not only clean humor and simple distraction,
but also a type of apostolate: the apostolate of happiness and
of good humor.
One hot
evening when he went for a stroll as he frequently would with
his spiritual brothers and sons, he recounted the following
anecdote, “One time a young juggler who was not able to sing
the psalms nor pray the prayers with his brothers became a monk.
As soon as the chapel was left empty, he would approach the
statue of the Blessed Virgin Mary and he would do pirouettes to
ingratiate himself with her and the Child Jesus. One time the
sacristan friar saw him and he advised the Abbot. After having
observed him for a while, he was marvelled upon seeing that the
statue of the Virgin Mary took life. The Virgin Mary would
smile and the Child Jesus would clap his little hands. Each one
of us, Padre Pio would say, makes a clown of himself in the job
that God has assigned us. The most ignorant friar would offer
the Queen of Heaven the only thing he knew how to do, and She
gladly accepted it.”
Sure Help
To the
many who would have recourse to him to ask for his intercession
in moments of need, Padre Pio would always give a helping hand
through prayer. One time a monsenior recounted that a farmer he
knew had a very strong and sudden molar pain one evening. In his
desperation in feeling that Padre Pio had not listened to his
plee of intercession, he took a shoe and threw it against the
framed photograph of Padre Pio. As time passed and having
forgotten the irreverent gesture, he went to confession with
Padre Pio who replied in the confessional, “And you still
have the courage, even after the blow with the shoe that you
gave me on my face…”
Miraculous
Healing
One of the
most famous healings of Padre Pio was that of a little girl
named Gema who had been born with no pupils in her eyes. Her
grandmother took her to Saint Giovanni Rotondo with the hope
that the Lord would do a miracle through the intercession of
Padre Pio. He blessed her and made the sign of the cross over
her eyes. The girl recuperated her vision, although the miracle
did not end there. Gema was able to see ever since that moment
but she was left without pupils. As an adult, Gema entered
religious life.
Padre Pio and
the Children
Padre Pio
also had a great love for children. When he was asked for the
intercession of a baby who came with complications, or for any
child who was sick, he would intercede until he obtained the
grace. A chancellor whose wife’s delivery was approaching and
carried many complications went to consult Padre Pio and to ask
him for prayers. “Go in peace, Padre Pio told him, and no
operations.” At the moment of the birth the situation became
complicated and the doctors told him that if they did not
operate right away they feared the chance of death of both the
mother and the baby. The chancellor desperately went to the room
next door where there was a photograph of Padre Pio on the wall
and in front of it he began to insult and curse him. He had not
finished letting everything out when he heard the cry of a baby.
He ran out of his wife’s room and he found a beautiful baby boy
born “without operations” to the surprise of the doctors. After
some days, the chancellor went to Saint Giovanni to confess and
to give thanks to Padre Pio who responded, “It is alright, but
all of the mean words and insults you said in front of my
photograph you do not have to repeat them again.”
On
another occasion, a boy from Saint Giovanni Rotondo who was
gravely ill and who was thought he would die at any given
moment, started to laugh and recovered his health almost
instantaneously. His mother asked him what he felt and the boy
responded, “Mom, Padre Pio tickled my feet.” Padre Pio had
tickled his feet and he was healed.
Spiritual
Children
Padre Pio
had amongst those who solicited him a group of spiritual
children whom he promised to aid with his prayers and cares in
exchange for living a fervent life of prayer, virtue, and works
of charity. Amongst this group of those devoted there are
countless anecdotes in which the real and opportune care of
Padre Pio manifested itself in an extraordinary way. Amongst
these anecdotes is the one of a young man whose mother would
take to Padre Pio since he was a small child and one day, upon
leaving the convent to take the bus back home, an automobile ran
him over from behind, projecting him across the air. Meanwhile
he flew over the automobile, he saw the image of the Virgin Mary
of the convent upside down and realized what was happening. He
was able to shout, “My dear Virgin Mary, help me.” They took him
immediately to the hospital and all of the exams showed that
everything was fine even though they could not explain the
source of the blood on his shirt. As soon as he was able to, he
left and ran towards the monastery to thank Padre Pio who was
praying in the chapel. He responded, “Don’t thank me, give
thanks to the Virgin Mary, it was Her.” After seeing him
with his eyes full of love and a great smile on his lips, he
told him, “My son, I cannot leave you alone not even for one
minute.”
Called
to Co-redemption
The life
of Padre Pio is full of extraordinary events that it is
necessary to find their causes in his intimate life. He who is
called to serve in the redemptive mission of Jesus Christ has to
suffer much morally and physically. These sufferings purify that
soul and enkindle in them each time more the love of God. In a
letter written by Padre Pio in 1913 he wrote, “The Lord
allows me to see, as in a mirror, that my entire life will be a
martyrdom.” From the time he entered religious life
until he received the stigmatas, the life of Padre Pio was a way
of the Cross. In 1912 he wrote, “I suffer, suffer much but I
do not desire at all that my cross be alleviated because to
suffer with Jesus is very pleasant.” To a spiritual daughter
he said one day, “Suffering is my daily bread. I
suffer when I do not suffer. The crosses are the jewels of
the Spouse, and I am jealous of them. Woe to he who puts himself
in between the crosses and me!”
His
Greatest Project on Earth
The
evening of the 9th of January of 1940, Padre Pio
gathered three of his greatest spiritual friends and he proposed
to them a project to which he himself referred as “his
greatest work here on earth,” the founding of a
hospital that would be called “House of Relief from
Suffering.” Padre Pio took out from his pocket a gold coin
which he had received once as a gift and said, “This is the
first stone.” On the 5th of May of 1956
the hospital was inaugurated with the blessing of Cardinal
Lercaro and an inspiring speech from Pope Pius XII. The purpose
of the hospital is to cure the sick person both spiritually and
physically: faith and science, mysticism and medicine, all in
accordance with helping the entire person: body and soul.
Prayer Groups
“What
humanity is lacking,”
he would frequently repeat,
“is prayer.” As a result of World War II, Padre Pio founded
“Prayer Groups of Padre Pio.” The groups multiplied all
over Italy and the world. When Padre Pio died there were 726
groups of 68,000 members, and in March of 1976 they increased to
1,400 groups with more than 150,000 members. “I invite souls
to pray and this surely upsets Satan. I always recommend to the
groups the Christian life, good Works, and especially, obedience
to Holy Mother Church.”
Second
Trial and Persecution
Human envy
went after the work of Padre Pio. Since 1959, newspapers and
weekly magazines began to publish articles and mean and
calumnious reports against the “House of Relief from
Suffering.” To take away from Padre Pio the donations that
came from all over the world to support the House, his enemies
planned a series of false documentation and they went to the
point of sacrilege, placing microphones in his confessional to
find anything with which to accuse him.
Some
offices of the Roman Curia conducted investigations, they took
away the administration of the House of Relief from Suffering
and his prayer groups were abandoned. The faithful were advised
neither to attend his Masses nor to confess with him.
Padre Pio
suffered much because of this last persecution that lasted until
his death, but his faithfulness and intense love for Holy Mother
Church was firm and constant. In the middle of the pain this
suffering caused, he used to say, “Sweet is the hand of the
Church even when she slaps because it is the hand of a mother.”
Fifty
Years of Pain and Blood
On Friday,
the 20th of September of 1968, Padre Pio had had the
stigmatas of the Lord for 50 years. It was a great celebration
in Saint Giovanni. Padre Pio celebrated the Mass in his usual
time. Around the altar there were 50 large flowerpots full of
red roses for his 50 years of blood. In the same miraculous
manner that the stigmatas had appeared in his body 50 years
before, now, 50 years later and some days before his death, they
disappeared without leaving any trace of five decades of pain
and blood with which the Lord had confirmed his mystical and
supernatural origin.
His Step into
Eternal Life
Three days
later, murmuring during long hours, “Jesus, Mary,”
Padre Pio died the 23rd of September of 1968. Those
present stayed a long time in silence and in prayer. Then a long
and unstopable cry burst out. The funeral of Padre Pio was
impressive. One had to wait four days so that the multitudes of
people would be able to pass by to say goodbye. It is estimated
that more than 100 thousand people participated in his
burial.
A
Promise of Love
One day
Padre Pio was asked, “Did Jesus show you the places of your
spiritual children in paradise?” “Of course, a place for all
the children that God would entrust to me until the end of the
world, if they are consistent in the path that takes you to
heaven. It is the promise that God made to this miserable
person.” “And in paradise, are we going to be close to
you?” “Oh silly one, what kind of paradise would it be for
me if I did not have all of my children close to me. “But I
am afraid of death.” “Love casts out fear. We call it
death, but in reality it is the beginning of true life. And
later, if I help you in your life here, how much more will I
help you in the decisive battle.
Process of the
Cause of Canonization for Padre Pio
There have
been many healings and conversions granted through the
intercession of Padre Pio and countless miracles have been
reported to the Holy See.
The
preliminaries of his cause began in November of 1969. On
December 18th of 1997, His Holiness John Paul II
pronounced him venerable.
This step, even if it was not as ceremonial as the
beatification, is certainly the most important part of the
process. Venerable Padre Pio was beatified on May 2nd
of 1999. The multitude was so large at the beatification
Mass that they overfilled the Plaza of Saint Peter and all of
the Avenue of Reconciliation until the Tiber River and these
places were still not enough. In addition, millions throughout
the world contemplated him through television.
A
Great Saint for the Church Today
On June
16th of 2002, his Holiness John Paul II canonized
Padre Pio who from that moment on would become the first
canonized priest who has received the stigmata of our Lord.
Homily of H.H. John Paul II on the
Beatification of Padre Pio
Sunday, May 2, 1999
“Sing a new song to the
Lord!”.
1. The summons of the
entrance antiphon captures well the joy of so many of the
faithful who have long awaited the beatification of Padre Pio
of Pietrelcina. By his life given wholly to prayer and to
listening to his brothers and sisters, this humble Capuchin
friar astonished the world.
Countless people came to
meet him in the friary of San Giovanni Rotondo and, since his
death, the flow of pilgrims has not ceased. When I was a student
here in Rome, I myself had the chance to meet him personally,
and I thank God for allowing me today to enter Padre Pio's name
in the book of the blessed.
Guided by the texts of
this Fifth Sunday of Easter, which provides the context for the
beatification, let us this morning trace the main features of
his spiritual experience.
2. “Do not let your
hearts be troubled. Believe in God and believe also in me” (Jn
14:1). In the Gospel just proclaimed, we heard these words of
Jesus to his disciples who were in need of encouragement. In
fact, his allusion to his imminent departure had thrown them
into turmoil. They were afraid of being abandoned, of being
alone, and the Lord consoled them with a very specific promise:
“I am going to prepare a place for you”, and then, “I
will come again and will take you to myself, that where I am you
may be also” (Jn 14:2-3).
Through Thomas, the
Apostles reply to this reassurance: “Lord, we do not know
where you are going; how can we know the way?” (Jn
14:5). The remark is apt, and Jesus does not avoid the question
which it implies. The answer he gives will remain for ever a
light shining for generations still to come: “I am the way
and the truth and the life; no one comes to the Father but by
me” (Jn 14:6).
The “place” that Jesus
goes to prepare is in “the house of the Father”; there the
disciple will be able to be with the Master for all eternity and
share in his joy. Yet there is only one path that leads there:
Christ, to whom the disciple must be conformed more and more.
Holiness consists precisely in this: that it is no longer the
Christian who lives, but Christ himself who lives in him (cf.
Gal 2:20). An exhilarating goal, accompanied by a promise
which is no less consoling: “Whoever believes in me will also
do the works that I do, and greater works than I will they do,
because I am going to the Father” (Jn 14:12).
3. We hear these words of
Christ and think of the humble friar of Gargano. How clearly
were they fulfilled in Bl. Pio of Pietrelcina!
“Do not let your hearts
be troubled. Believe ...”. What was the life of this humble
son of St Francis if not a constant act of faith,
strengthened by the hope of heaven, where he could be with
Christ?
“I am going to prepare
a place for you ... that where I am you may be also”. What
other purpose was there for the demanding ascetical practices
which Padre Pio undertook from his early youth, if not
gradually to identify himself with the Divine Master, so
that he could be “where he was”?
Those who went to San
Giovanni Rotondo to attend his Mass, to seek his counsel or to
confess to him, saw in him a living image of Christ suffering
and risen. The face of Padre Pio reflected the light of the
Resurrection. His body, marked by the “stigmata”, showed
forth the intimate bond between death and resurrection which
characterizes the paschal mystery. Bl. Pio of Pietrelcina
shared in the Passion with a special intensity: the unique
gifts which were given to him, and the interior and mystical
sufferings which accompanied them, allowed him constantly to
participate in the Lord's agonies, never wavering in his sense
that “Calvary is the hill of the saints”.
4. No less painful, and
perhaps even more distressing from a human point of view, were
the trials which he had to endure as a result, it might
be said, of his incomparable charisms. It happens at times in
the history of holiness that, by God's special permission, the
one chosen is misunderstood. In that case, obedience
becomes for him a crucible of purification, a path of
gradual assimilation to Christ, a strengthening of true
holiness. In this regard, Bl. Pio wrote to one of his superiors:
“I strive only to obey you, the good God having made known to me
the one thing most acceptable to him and the one way for me to
hope for salvation and to sing of victory” (Letter I, p.
807).
When the “storm” broke
upon him, he took as his rule of life the exhortation of the
First Letter of Peter, that we have just heard: Come to
Christ, a living stone (cf. 1 Pt 2:4). He himself
thus became a “living stone” for the building of that spiritual
house which is the Church. For this we today give thanks to the
Lord.
5. “You too are living
stones, built into a spiritual house” (1 Pt 2:5). How
fitting are these words if we apply them to the extraordinary
ecclesial experience which grew up around the new blessed!
So many people, meeting him directly or indirectly, rediscovered
their faith; inspired by his example, “prayer groups” sprang up
in every corner of the world. To all who flocked to him he held
up the ideal of holiness, repeating to them: “It seems that
Jesus has no interest outside of sanctifying your soul” (Letter
II, p. 155).
If God's Providence willed
that he should be active without ever leaving his convent, as
though he were “planted” at the foot of the Cross, this
is not without significance. One day the Divine Master had to
console him, at a moment of particular trial, by telling him
that “it is under the Cross that one learns to love” (Letter
I, p. 339).
The Cross of Christ is
truly the outstanding school of love; indeed, the very
“well-spring” of love. Purified by suffering, the love of this
faithful disciple drew hearts to Christ and to his demanding
Gospel of salvation.
6. At the same time, his
charity was poured out like balm on the weaknesses and the
sufferings of his brothers and sisters. Padre Pio thus
united zeal for souls with a concern for human suffering,
working to build at San Giovanni Rotondo a hospital complex
which he called the “House for the Relief of Suffering”. He
wanted it to be a first-class hospital, but above all he was
concerned that the medicine practised there would be
truly “human”, treating patients with warm concern and
sincere attention. He was quite aware that people who are ill
and suffering need not only competent therapeutic care but also,
and more importantly, a human and spiritual climate to help them
rediscover themselves in an encounter with the love of God and
with the kindness of their brothers and sisters.
With the “House for the
Relief of Suffering”, he wished to show that God's “ordinary
miracles” take place in and through our charity. We need
to be open to compassion and to the generous service of our
brothers and sisters, using every resource of medical science
and technology at our disposal.
7. The echo stirred by
this beatification in Italy and throughout the world shows that
the fame of Padre Pio, a son of Italy and of Francis of Assisi,
has gone forth to embrace all the continents. And I gladly greet
those who have gathered here — in the first place the Italian
authorities who have chosen to be present: the President of the
Republic, the President of the Senate, the Prime Minister, who
leads the official delegation, and the many other ministers and
distinguished guests. Italy is represented most worthily! But
also the many faithful from other nations have gathered here to
pay homage to Padre Pio.
My affectionate greeting
goes to all who have come from near and far, with a special
thought for the Capuchin Fathers. To everyone I offer heartfelt
thanks.
8. Let me conclude with
the words of the Gospel of this Mass: “Do not let your hearts
be troubled. Have faith in God”. There is a reference to
this exhortation of Christ in the advice which the new blessed
never tired of giving to the faithful: “Abandon yourselves fully
to the divine heart of Jesus, like a child in the arms of his
mother”. May these words of encouragement fill our hearts too
and become a source of peace, serenity and joy. Why should we
fear, if Christ for us is the Way, and the Truth and the
Life? Why should we not trust in God who is the Father, our
Father?
May “Our Lady of Graces”,
whom the humble Capuchin of Pietrelcina invoked with constant
and tender devotion, help us to keep our gaze fixed on God. May
she take us by the hand and lead us to seek wholeheartedly that
supernatural charity flowing forth from the wounded side of the
Crucified One.
And you, Bl. Padre Pio,
look down from heaven upon us assembled in this square and upon
all gathered in prayer before the Basilica of St John Lateran
and in San Giovanni Rotondo. Intercede for all those who, in
every part of the world, are spiritually united with this event
and raise their prayers to you. Come to the help of everyone;
give peace and consolation to every heart. Amen!
Homily of H.H. John Paul II on the
Canonization of Padre Pio
Sunday, June 16, 2002
1. "For my yoke is easy
and my burden light" (Mt 11,30).
Jesus' words to his
disciples, which we just heard, help us to understand the most
important message of this solemn celebration. Indeed, in a
certain sense, we can consider them as a magnificent summary of
the whole life of Padre Pio of Pietrelcina, today proclaimed a
saint.
The evangelical image of
the "yoke" recalls the many trials that the humble Capuchin of
San Giovanni Rotondo had to face. Today we contemplate in him
how gentle the "yoke" of Christ is, and how truly light is his
burden when it is borne with faithful love. The life and mission
of Padre Pio prove that difficulties and sorrows, if accepted
out of love, are transformed into a privileged way of holiness,
which opens onto the horizons of a greater good, known only to
the Lord.
2. "But may I never boast except in the cross of Our Lord
Jesus Christ" (Gal 6,14).
Is it not, precisely, the
"glory of the Cross" that shines above all in Padre Pio? How
timely is the spirituality of the Cross lived by the humble
Capuchin of Pietrelcina. Our time needs to rediscover the value
of the Cross in order to open the heart to hope.
Throughout his life, he
always sought greater conformity with the Crucified, since he
was very conscious of having been called to collaborate in a
special way in the work of redemption. His holiness cannot be
understood without this constant reference to the Cross.
In God's plan, the Cross
constitutes the true instrument of salvation for the whole of
humanity and the way clearly offered by the Lord to those who
wish to follow him (cf. Mk 16,24). The Holy Franciscan of
the Gargano understood this well, when on the Feast of the
Assumption in 1914, he wrote: "In order to succeed in reaching
our ultimate end we must follow the divine Head, who does not
wish to lead the chosen soul on any way other than the one he
followed; by that, I say, of abnegation and the Cross" (Epistolario
II, p. 155).
3. "I am the Lord who acts with mercy" (Jer 9,23).
Padre Pio was a generous
dispenser of divine mercy, making himself available to all by
welcoming them, by spiritual direction and, especially, by the
administration of the sacrament of Penance. I also had the
privilege, during my young years, of benefitting from his
availability for penitents. The ministry of the confessional,
which is one of the distinctive traits of his apostolate,
attracted great crowds of the faithful to the monastery of San
Giovanni Rotondo. Even when that unusual confessor treated
pilgrims with apparent severity, the latter, becoming conscious
of the gravity of sins and sincerely repentant, almost always
came back for the peaceful embrace of sacramental forgiveness.
May his example encourage priests to carry out with joy and zeal
this ministry which is so important today, as I wished to
confirm this year in the Letter to Priests on the occasion of
Holy Thursday.
4. "You, Lord, are my only good".
This is what we sang in
the responsorial psalm. Through these words, the new Saint
invites us to place God above everything, to consider him our
sole and highest good.
In fact, the ultimate
reason for the apostolic effectiveness of Padre Pio, the
profound root of so much spiritual fruitfulness can be found in
that intimate and constant union with God, attested to by his
long hours spent in prayer and in the confessional. He loved to
repeat, "I am a poor Franciscan who prays" convinced that
"prayer is the best weapon we have, a key that opens the heart
of God".
This fundamental
characteristic of his spirituality continues in the "Prayer
Groups" that he founded, which offer to the Church and to
society the wonderful contribution of incessant and confident
prayer. To prayer, Padre Pio joined an intense charitable
activity, of which the "Home for the Relief of Suffering" is an
extraordinary expression. Prayer and charity, this is the most
concrete synthesis of Padre Pio's teaching, which today is
offered to everyone.
5. "I bless you, Father,
Lord of heaven and earth, because ... these things ... you have
revealed to little ones" (Mt 11,25).
How appropriate are these
words of Jesus, when we think of them as applied to you, humble
and beloved Padre Pio.
Teach us, we ask you,
humility of heart so we may be counted among the little ones of
the Gospel, to whom the Father promised to reveal the mysteries
of his Kingdom.
Help us to pray without
ceasing, certain that God knows what we need even before we ask
him.
Obtain for us the eyes of faith that will be able to recognize
right away in the poor and suffering the face of Jesus.
Sustain us in the hour of
the combat and of the trial and, if we fall, make us experience
the joy of the sacrament of forgiveness.
Grant us your tender
devotion to Mary, the Mother of Jesus and our Mother.
Accompany us on our
earthly pilgrimage toward the blessed homeland, where we hope to
arrive in order to contemplate forever the glory of the Father,
the Son and the Holy Spirit.
Amen.
He Prophesied that Karol Wojtyla
would be Pope...
According to various
sources that we have not been able to confirm, when Karol
Wojtyla was a priest in his native Polond, each time that he
visited Italy, he traveled to San Giovanni Rotondo to confess
with Padre Pio. On one of these occasions, Padre Pio seemed to
enter into a brief trance and said to him: "You are going to be
Pope"...and he continued, "I also see blood.... You are going to
be Pope and I see blood."
On May 13, 1981, an attempt against the lifeof the same Polish
priest, now H.H. John Paul II. Blood was shed. The Pope himself
canonized Padre Pio.
The message of Padre Pio coincides with the message of the third
part of the secret of Fatima, even though it was still secret
when the prophecy occurred.
Link to Online Franciscan Archive on Padre
Pio...
Back to
the Main Page on the Saints...
