Pio of Pietrelcina, born Francesco Forgione on May 25, 1887, and died on September 23, 1968, is widely known as Padre Pio. His name means "Father Pius" in Italian and "Pater Pius" in Latin. He was an Italian friar in the Order of Friars Minor Capuchin, a priest, and a person who experienced stigmata—wounds similar to those Jesus Christ had during his crucifixion. He is honored as a saint in the Catholic Church, and his feast day is celebrated on September 23.

Francesco joined the Capuchins at age 15 and lived most of his religious life at the monastery of San Giovanni Rotondo. As Padre Pio, he was known for experiencing supernatural events, especially the stigmata on his hands and feet. The Vatican investigated these events, which temporarily limited his ministry, but his reputation for holiness grew throughout his life. He was also known for other spiritual experiences and for helping people in many ways.

After his death, people around the world, especially in the Mezzogiorno region, continued to honor him. He was officially recognized as a blessed on May 2, 1999, and declared a saint on June 16, 2002, by Pope John Paul II. His remains are displayed at the sanctuary of Saint Pio of Pietrelcina, near the monastery of San Giovanni Rotondo, which is now a popular pilgrimage site. His legacy also includes the Casa Sollievo della Sofferenza, a hospital built near the monastery to help those in need.

Life

Francesco Forgione was born on May 25, 1887, to Grazio Mario Forgione (1860–1946) and Maria Giuseppa Di Nunzio (1859–1929) in Pietrelcina, a small town in the province of Benevento in the Campania region of southern Italy. His parents were farmers who grew crops and raised animals. He had an older brother named Michele and three younger sisters: Felicita, Pellegrina, and Grazia, who later became a nun in the Bridgettine Order. Two other children born to his parents died before reaching their first birthday.

Francesco was baptized at the Santa Anna Chapel, a small church built on the walls of a castle. He later helped with church duties, such as serving at the altar. At his baptism, he was named Francesco in honor of Saint Francis of Assisi. By age five, he said he wanted to dedicate his life to God. He worked on the family farm until he was 10 years old, helping care for their small group of sheep.

The Forgione family was very religious. They attended church every day, prayed the Rosary every night, and avoided eating meat three times a week to honor Our Lady of Mount Carmel. Although his parents and grandparents could not read, they told their children Bible stories.

According to the diary of Father Agostino da San Marco, who later became his spiritual guide, Francesco had many illnesses as a child. He suffered from severe stomach problems at age six and typhoid fever at age 10.

As a young boy, Francesco said he saw visions and experienced moments of deep spiritual joy. In 1897, after three years of school, he wanted to become a friar after meeting a Capuchin monk who was traveling through the countryside. When he told his parents, they went to Morcone, a town 13 miles (about 21 kilometers) north of Pietrelcina, to ask if Francesco could join the order. The friars said they would accept him if he received more education.

To help pay for his schooling, Francesco’s father went to the United States to find work. During this time, Francesco prepared for the sacrament of Confirmation, which he received on September 27, 1899. He also studied privately and met the requirements to join the Capuchin Order. On January 6, 1903, at age 15, he entered the novitiate (a training program) for Capuchin friars in Morcone. A few weeks later, on January 22, he took the Franciscan habit and was given the name Fra Pio (Friar Pius) in honor of Pope Pius I, whose relic is kept in the Santa Anna Chapel in Pietrelcina. He made simple vows of poverty, chastity, and obedience.

Padre Pio began his seven-year training to become a priest. He traveled to a friary in Umbria, where he studied. At age 17, he became very sick, losing his appetite, not sleeping, and suffering from headaches, vomiting, and weakness. He could only eat milk and cheese. Religious followers say strange events began during this time. For example, during prayer, he seemed to be in a trance, as if his body was not present. A fellow friar later said he saw Padre Pio levitate above the ground.

In June 1905, Padre Pio’s health worsened so much that his superiors sent him to a mountain monastery to recover. This did not help, and doctors told him to return home. Even there, his health did not improve, but he still made his solemn religious commitment on January 27, 1907.

In August 1910, Padre Pio was ordained a priest by Archbishop Paolo Schinosi at the Cathedral of Benevento. Four days later, he celebrated his first Mass at the parish church of Santa Maria degli Angeli (Our Lady of the Angels).

Because of his poor health, Padre Pio was allowed to stay with his family in Pietrelcina while still wearing the Capuchin habit. He lived there until 1916, when his father and brother briefly moved to the United States. During these years, he wrote many spiritual letters to his guides, Fathers Agostino and Benedetto, who were friars at the Capuchin monastery of San Marco in Lamis.

On September 4, 1916, Padre Pio was told to return to his community. He moved to the Convento dei Cappuccini di Santa Maria delle Grazie (Capuchin Friary of Our Lady of Grace) in San Giovanni Rotondo, located in the Gargano mountains of the Province of Foggia. At that time, the community had seven friars. He lived there until his death in 1968, except for a time when he served in the military. During his priesthood, Padre Pio helped many people convert to Catholicism.

Padre Pio practiced daily rosary meditations and believed confession was like cleaning a room weekly. He recommended meditation and self-reflection twice a day: once in the morning to prepare for the day and once in the evening to review the day. His famous advice was, “Prega, spera e non preoccuparti” (Pray, hope, and don’t worry). He taught that Christians should see God in everything and always try to do God’s will.

Many people traveled to San Giovanni Rotondo to meet Padre Pio, confess to him, or ask for help. His mother died in the village near the monastery in 1928. Ten years later, he brought his elderly father, Grazio, to live with him until his father’s death in 1946.

At the start of World War I, four friars from Padre Pio’s community were sent to serve in the Italian army. At that time, he was a teacher and spiritual guide at a seminary. When another friar was called to serve, Padre Pio became the community leader. However, he was also drafted into the army in November 1915 and assigned to the 10th Medical Corps in Naples. Due to poor health, he was repeatedly sent home and returned to duty until March 1918, when he was declared unfit for service and given a full discharge.

In September 1918, Padre Pio began showing permanent wounds on his hands and feet, known as “stigmata.” In the following months, his reputation for holiness grew quickly in the area around San Giovanni Rotondo, drawing hundreds of people to visit him daily.

After World War I, people who were rebuilding their lives saw Padre Pio as a symbol of hope. Those close to him said he had spiritual gifts, such as healing, the ability to appear in two

Supernatural phenomena

Padre Pio was known for abilities that some people considered mystical. These included the ability to be in two places at the same time, reading people’s souls, and helping others before being asked. He also reported seeing visions from heaven, speaking with angels, and being attacked by demons, including Satan. Many people, including Padre Pio himself and his followers, described these events in letters and writings. However, the Vatican did not believe these stories were true.

In a letter from 1912, Padre Pio wrote about feeling pain and bleeding in places that later became the stigmata, which are wounds that look like the ones Jesus had during his suffering. He also wrote about his belief that he would one day bear these wounds. However, some people, like Luzzatto, said he used parts of a book written by another mystic, Saint Gemma Galgani, in his letter.

In 1915, Padre Pio answered questions from his spiritual director, Father Agostino. He said he had seen visions since 1903 and that he was a stigmatic, meaning he had the wounds of Jesus. He also said he felt the pain of Jesus’ suffering, like being whipped and crowned with thorns. He was so afraid of the wounds that he asked God to remove them but not the pain. He wore red gloves or black coverings on his hands and feet because he felt ashamed of the marks.

On September 20, 1918, while giving confessions, Padre Pio reportedly saw the stigmata again. These wounds were said to have lasted for 50 years until his death. Some claimed the blood smelled like perfume or flowers. He told Father Agostino that the pain was worse on certain days and under certain conditions. By 1919, news of his wounds had spread, even though he preferred to keep them private.

Some doctors, like Amico Bignami and Agostino Gemelli, suggested the wounds might have been caused by chemicals like iodine or caustic substances used by soldiers. Others, including the Vatican, studied the wounds to understand them better. Some doctors said the wounds could not be explained and never became infected, even though they seemed to heal and then reappear. In 1954, X-rays of Padre Pio’s hands showed no bone damage.

Some people accused Padre Pio of faking the wounds. For example, Maria De Vito said he bought chemicals like carbolic acid and veratrine without a doctor’s permission. Veratrine is a strong chemical that can cause pain and was used as an insecticide. Padre Pio claimed he used carbolic acid to clean medical tools and that he bought veratrine to play a joke on others. Bishop Raffaele Rossi believed Padre Pio was not lying and that the wounds were real.

In August 1918, Padre Pio described a spiritual experience where he felt pierced and burned. His spiritual director, Father Benedetto, called this a transverberation. Padre Pio later said this caused a physical wound on his left side, shaped like a cross.

Padre Pio was believed to have the gift of bilocation, being in two places at once. When asked about it by Bishop Rossi, Padre Pio said he did not understand how it happened but confirmed it occurred.

In 1947, a girl named Gemma de Giorgi, who was born without pupils, reportedly saw clearly after visiting Padre Pio. Her grandmother did not believe she was healed until Padre Pio asked God to restore her sight.

In 1947, a young priest named Karol Józef Wojtyła (later Pope John Paul II) visited Padre Pio. Some sources say Padre Pio predicted Wojtyła would one day hold a high church position, but others, including Wojtyła’s secretary, denied this.

Bishop Rossi described a pleasant, violet-like scent that Padre Pio sometimes had. He also said Padre Pio could sense people’s sins or virtues and saw visions of demonic attacks.

Vatican investigations and declarations

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In the 1920s, the Vatican placed strict rules on Padre Pio to reduce the attention he was receiving. These rules included not allowing him to say Mass in public, hear confessions, give blessings, answer letters, show his stigmata, or talk with Father Benedetto, his spiritual director.

The church also decided to move Padre Pio to another monastery in northern Italy. However, the local people threatened to cause a disturbance, so the Vatican decided not to move him. A second plan to move him was also stopped. Even so, from 1921 to 1922, Padre Pio was not allowed to perform certain priestly duties, such as hearing confessions and saying Mass. From 1923 to 1931, the Holy See made statements that said the events in Padre Pio's life were not caused by divine reasons. In May 1923, the Holy Office (now called the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith) issued a statement that nothing supernatural had been proven about Padre Pio and warned people not to believe his claims.

Eventually, Padre Pio was kept mostly within the walls of his friary. As Luzzatto said, he was seen as a prisoner in his own monastery.

Over more than four decades, many examinations were done on Padre Pio to find out the cause and nature of his stigmata and other parts of his life.

Many doctors visited Padre Pio to check if the stigmata were real. The first to study his wounds was Luigi Romanelli, the chief doctor of the civil hospital in Barletta, who was asked by the provincial father superior on May 15 and 16, 1919. In his report, Romanelli wrote:

The wounds on his hands are covered with a reddish-brown membrane, with no bleeding, swelling, or inflammation around them. I am certain that the wounds are not just on the surface. When I press my thumb on the palm of his hand and my index finger on the back, I clearly feel a vacuum between them.

Two months later, on July 26, pathologist Amico Bignami arrived in San Giovanni Rotondo. He examined Padre Pio's wounds and suggested that they might be caused by a skin condition that was not healing due to chemicals like iodine.

Giorgio Festa, a doctor, examined Padre Pio twice, in 1919 and 1920, and was impressed by the scent of the stigmata. Festa, like Bignami, described the wound on the side as shaped like a cross. In his 1925 report to the Holy Office, Festa concluded that the stigmata were not caused by an external injury or by chemicals.

In 1920, Father Agostino Gemelli, who was both a doctor and a psychologist, visited Padre Pio to examine his wounds. Castelli said that he was asked to do this by Cardinal Rafael Merry del Val, while Luzzatto said that he did it on his own, without any church involvement.

Padre Pio refused to let Gemelli examine his stigmata unless he had written permission from the Holy Office. Gemelli's attempts to examine him were not successful, and he left upset. He concluded that Padre Pio was "a narrow-minded man, with low mental activity, monotonous thoughts, and no initiative." He also said that the case was "a result of suggestion from Father Benedetto on a weak-minded person like Padre Pio, leading to the typical signs of a hysteric mind." He recommended that Padre Pio be closely watched and that he not have contact with Father Benedetto.

However, on behalf of the Holy Office, Gemelli re-examined Padre Pio in 1925 and wrote a report in April of the following year. This time, Padre Pio allowed the examination. Gemelli believed that the wounds were caused by a corrosive substance that Padre Pio had applied to them himself. Because the Jesuit Festa had previously questioned Gemelli's views on stigmata, Gemelli used his knowledge of self-inflicted wounds from soldiers during the war to explain his findings:

Anyone with experience in forensic medicine, especially with the many wounds soldiers had from chemical injuries, can be certain that these wounds were caused by caustic substances. The shape and base of the wounds are very similar to those seen in soldiers who used chemicals to cause them.

Gemelli again judged Padre Pio's mental abilities as limited:

Padre Pio shows the typical signs of severe mental deficiency, which makes him narrow-minded. In other words, he is the ideal person for Father Benedetto to influence. […] He is a good holy man: calm, quiet, and gentle, more so because of his mental deficiency than because of virtue; a poor soul, only able to repeat a few religious phrases; a sick man who has been taught by his teacher, Father Benedetto.

Starting in 1940, Gemelli wrote several letters to the Holy Office about what he saw as unfair claims about Padre Pio's holiness.

The Carmelite Bishop of Volterra, Raffaele Rossi, was officially asked by the Holy Office on June 11, 1921, to investigate Padre Pio. Three days later, on June 14, Rossi started his visit to San Giovanni Rotondo by questioning witnesses, including two diocesan priests and seven friars.

After eight days of investigation, Rossi completed a report and sent it to the Holy Office on October 4, the feast day of St. Francis of Assisi. His report was long and detailed. It said that Padre Pio was a good religious and that the San Giovanni Rotondo monastery was a good community. Although the stigmata could not be explained, they were not the work of the devil or the result of fraud. During interviews with witnesses, Rossi saw the stigmata on the then-34-year-old Padre Pio and described them as a "real fact."

In his notes and report, Rossi described the shape and look of the wounds. Those on the hands were "very visible." Those on the feet were "fading. What could be seen looked like two small bumps with lighter, softer skin." On the chest, Rossi said: "On his side, the sign is a triangular spot the color of red wine, and other smaller ones. Later, it looked like an upside-down cross, as seen in 1919 by Dr. Bignami and Dr. Festa." Rossi also asked the Holy Office to send him a copy of the material he had collected so he could write about Padre Pio's life.

According to Rossi: "Many of the reported healings are unconfirmed or do not exist. However, in Padre Pio's letters, there are some believable statements that credit miracles to his prayers. But without medical proof, it is hard to make a conclusion, and the issue remains open." According to Lucia Ceci, Rossi could not find proof of any of the miracles that were claimed.

When Rossi asked Padre Pio about bilocation, Padre Pio replied:

I don't know how it is or what the nature of this phenomenon is—and I certainly don't think about it much—but it did happen to me to be in the presence of this or that person, to be in this or that place; I do not know whe /think

Personal views

Padre Pio strongly supported weekly confession, calling it "the soul's bath." He created five rules for spiritual growth, which included weekly confession, daily communion, reading spiritual books, meditation, and regularly examining one's conscience. He taught his followers that suffering was a sign of God's love, as it helped people "resemble His divine son in His anguish in the desert and on the hill of Calvary."

In the confessional, Padre Pio was strict with people who seemed insincere in their repentance, often refusing them absolution until they fixed their personal lives. However, he was kind to those who came to him with genuine repentance. His general attitude toward others was friendly and empathetic, though his comments and humor sometimes seemed abrupt. When asked about this, he explained, “I act like that so I don’t let myself become too emotional. Seeing people suffer is enough to make me cry, and then I would no longer be able to continue my ministry.” He also viewed his supernatural experiences with humility, calling them "a mystery for me too."

As time passed, cultural differences grew between traditional and modern styles of dress. On January 12, 1930, Pope Pius XI issued a papal decree called "concerning modesty," which set guidelines for "marylike standards for modesty in dress." Padre Pio, who strongly supported modesty and authentic spirituality, began dismissing people from confession more often for inappropriate clothing. His Franciscan brothers also placed a sign on the church door stating, "By Padre Pio's explicit wish, women must enter his confessional wearing skirts at least 8 inches below the knees."

Although Padre Pio was concerned about changes to church rituals after the Second Vatican Council, he emphasized obedience to the church. His blood sister, Grazia, was a traditionalist nun who left her order at age 70 because she disagreed with changes made by her superiors. When Padre Pio met her, he cried and told her, "They are wrong and you are right, but you still must obey. You must return." She refused, which made him weep and pray for her.

After the publication of the encyclical Humanae vitae, Padre Pio was upset by criticism of it. He wrote to Pope Paul VI, affirming his support for the Church's teaching on birth control and offering to pray for the pope during his difficult time. He told the pope he would pray for him and suffer with him because of Paul VI's defense of "eternal truth, which never changes with the passing of years."

After World War II, Padre Pio's nephew, Ettore Masone, asked him for advice on opening a movie theater. Padre Pio warned him to be careful about the movies he showed, saying, "You don’t want to contribute to the propagation of evil." He was also cautious about television, even as it became allowed among Capuchins in the late 1950s. He once joked that the inventor of the refrigerator went to heaven, while the inventor of television went to hell. However, an interview with Father John Aurillia in 2021 suggested Padre Pio participated in at least one televised interview before his death in 1968. The quote from the interview, "I want to be a poor friar who prays," was something he often used.

Before Benito Mussolini introduced fascism in Italy, Padre Pio was not interested in politics, except for fearing communism because of its anti-liturgical views. Historian Luzzatto wrote about how Padre Pio’s life intersected with early fascism. For example, in August 1920, Padre Pio blessed a flag for local veterans trying to connect with fascists to fight communism. He also had a relationship with a fascist politician, Giuseppe Caradonna, who was from Foggia. Padre Pio served as a confessor to Caradonna and his militia, and Caradonna protected him from being moved from the monastery.

When Mussolini came to power, Padre Pio’s attitude toward fascism changed. When visited by one of Mussolini’s messengers, Padre Pio yelled, "So now you come to me, after you have destroyed Italy. You can tell Mussolini that nothing can save Italy now! Nothing!" He was friendly with American soldiers during World War II and admired U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt, calling him a "great man."

In 1948, Padre Pio wrote a letter to Alcide De Gasperi, supporting the Christian Democracy Party. Italian communists disliked him, blaming his influence for their losses in elections during the 1940s. A communist leader once said that Padre Pio’s presence at polling places took votes away from them.

After Christian Democracy won political victories, Padre Pio was often consulted by Italian leaders, including Aldo Moro, Antonio Segni, Mariano Rumor, and Giovanni Leone. He received letters from many people, including King Alfonso XIII of Spain in 1923. He also prayed for notable figures like King George V of the United Kingdom.

In 1963, after the assassination of U.S. President John F. Kennedy, Padre Pio cried. When asked if he would pray for Kennedy’s salvation, he said, "It's not necessary. He's already in Paradise."

Posthumous veneration

In 1982, the Holy See allowed the archbishop of Manfredonia to begin an investigation to decide if Padre Pio should be declared a saint. The investigation lasted seven years, and in 1990, Padre Pio was called a "servant of God," the first step in becoming a saint. However, the Church did not officially explain whether his stigmata were supernatural. His stigmata were not studied during the required investigations for canonization to avoid problems that might stop the process.

Starting in 1990, the Congregation for the Causes of Saints discussed Padre Pio’s life. In 1997, Pope John Paul II declared him "venerable," the next step in becoming a saint. Then, the Church studied how his life affected others, including a reported healing of an Italian woman named Consiglia de Martino.

In 1999, Pope John Paul II declared Padre Pio "blessed" and set 23 September as his feast day. He held a ceremony in Rome on 2 May 1999 to announce Padre Pio’s beatification, with over 300,000 people attending. During the ceremony, the pope spoke about Padre Pio’s stigmata and mystical gifts, saying they showed his deep connection to the suffering and resurrection of Jesus.

After his beatification, another healing linked to Padre Pio was studied: an Italian boy named Matteo Pio Colella who recovered from a coma. In 2002, Pope John Paul II officially declared Padre Pio a saint. The canonization ceremony took place in Rome on 16 June 2002, with about 300,000 people present.

Padre Pio was also the first person declared a saint by the Palmarian Catholic Church, which claimed the papacy after the Second Vatican Council. The Palmarian Holy See in Spain canonized him on 12 September 1978.

The town of San Giovanni Rotondo, where Padre Pio lived most of his life, is a major pilgrimage site. After his death in 1968, the Our Lady of Grace Church, where he celebrated Mass, became a place for pilgrims. As more people visited, the Capuchins built a new shrine near the church. Construction began in 1991 and finished in 2004. Pope John Paul II dedicated the Sanctuary of Saint Pio of Pietrelcina on 1 July 2004. The sanctuary holds about 6,000 people, and its parvise can hold 30,000. Padre Pio’s relics are kept in the sanctuary’s crypt and displayed for veneration.

The town of Pietrelcina, where Padre Pio was born, is another pilgrimage site. Pilgrims can visit his family home, the church where he was baptized, and other places linked to his life. It is estimated that about 2 million people visit Pietrelcina each year.

Outside Italy, the Padre Pio Shrine in Santo Tomas, Philippines, and the National Center for Padre Pio in Barto, Pennsylvania, are also pilgrimage sites.

Several popes have supported devotion to Padre Pio. Pope John Paul II visited San Giovanni Rotondo multiple times, including as a young priest in 1947 and as a pope in 1987. Pope Benedict XVI visited in 2009, and Pope Francis honored Padre Pio during the Jubilee of Mercy in 2016.

In 2008, Padre Pio’s body was exhumed 40 years after his death. His remains were described as being in "fair condition," but his face was covered with a silicone mask to make it recognizable. His body was displayed in a special crypt until 2010, when it was moved to a golden crypt.

Padre Pio’s prayer groups began in the 1950s after Pope Pius XII encouraged people to gather monthly for prayer. These groups helped build the Casa Sollievo della Sofferenza, a hospital in San Giovanni Rotondo. A newsletter called Afte was created to share news about the groups and the hospital.