Padre Pio

Pius of Pietrelcina (Born Francesco Forgione; 25 May 1887 – 23 September 1968), known as Padre Pio and Father Pius, was an Italian Catholic priest, famous for his miraculous gifts and for the stigmata he bore on his hands, feet, and side. He was beatified in 1999 and canonized in 2002 by Pope John Paul II.^[2]

Francesco Forgione was born in Pietrelcina in 1887. His parents were Grazio Orazio Mario Forgione and Maria Giuseppa di Nunzio. His family was humble, working-class, and very devout. From childhood, he displayed great piety and even penitential attitudes.

His childhood was characterized by fragile and sickly health. From this age, he manifested a great desire for the priesthood, sparked by his encounter with a Capuchin friar from the convent of Morcone (30 km from Pietrelcina) named Friar Camillo, who came to his house begging for alms. His father had to emigrate to America to pay for young Francesco's studies, in 1898 to the United States and in 1910 to Argentina.

From his childhood, he suffered what he called "demonic encounters," which followed him throughout his life. Friends and neighbors testified that on more than one occasion they saw him fight with what seemed to be his own shadow.

On January 9, 1940, Padre Pio gathered three of his great spiritual children and proposed a project he himself referred to as "his greatest work here on Earth": the founding of a hospital to be called Casa Sollievo della Sofferenza (House of Relief from Suffering).

On May 5, 1956, the hospital was inaugurated with the blessing of Cardinal Lercaro and an inspired speech by Pope Pius XII. The purpose of the hospital was to heal the sick both spiritually and physically. In 1940, Padre Pio began plans to open his hospital in San Giovanni Rotondo, to be called the Casa Sollievo della Sofferenza (or House of Relief from Suffering).

Barbara Ward, a British humanitarian and journalist on assignment in Italy, played a key role in securing a $325,000 grant from UNRRA (United Nations Relief and Rehabilitation Administration). The hospital opened in 1956. To enable Padre Pio to oversee the project directly, Pope Pius XII granted him a dispensation from his vow of poverty in 1957.

However, in 1959, newspapers and weekly magazines began publishing reports about Padre Pio's administration of the House for the Relief of Suffering, accusing him of misappropriation of funds. In Italy, the left had dubbed him "the richest monk in the world."

After several investigations conducted by the Roman Curia, he was removed from the hospital's administration. His followers were advised not to attend his Masses or confess to him. But they refused to follow the recommendations.

On September 20, 1968, Padre Pio celebrated the 50th anniversary of suffering the stigmata, celebrating a mass attended by thousands of people. His faithful placed fifty large pots of red roses around the altar, in honor of his fifty years of bloodshed.

Three days later, on September 23, 1968, Pio died at the age of 81. His funeral was so crowded that it took four days for the multitude of people to arrive to say their goodbyes. It is estimated that more than 100,000 people attended the burial.