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Name:
Francesco Forgione
Padre Pio of Pietrelcina
Dates:
Born: May 25, 1887 at Pietrelcina in the Archdiocese of Benevento
Died: September 23, 1968
Entered Noitate: January 6, 1903 at the Capuchin Friars at Morcone
Took Franciscan Habit: January 22, 1903
Ordained Priest: August 10, 1910
Beatified: May 2, 1999
Canonized: June 16, 2002
Biography:
Padre Pio is one of the most famous and controversial figures in the Catholic Church today.
At the age of 17, just one year after having entered the Franciscan order at Morcone,
he first reported the presence of wounds on his feet and hands - in the exact locations as
the wounds would have been on Jesus Christ when he was crucified. This made this stigmata,
presumably the mystical presence of Jesus Christ working through a person. Pio reportedly
entered the convent after experiencing a religious vision and the stigmata themselves were
supposed to have appeared after he said his first mass.
Stigmata are always controversial in the Catholic Church because so often then are simply and easily faked by anyone with a little skill. The Church was not at all confident in Padre Pio's wounds and as a result then essentially put him in confinement for many years, prohibiting him from performing the open-air masses which throngs of would-be followers ask for. They arrived in san Giovanni Rotondo, where he was based, by the thousands every week for the chance to see him. Stigmata may be greeted with suspicion by the Church hierarchy, but they are adored by the masses of the faithful.
One of those in the hierarchy who was less suspicious was Karol Wojytla who travelled to Italy to have Padre Pio hear his confession. Later, as Pope John Paul II, he would beatify Pio and then even canonize him. Padre Pio fit in very well with John Paul's desire to beatify and canonize those Catholics who can serve as role models for the faithful. Pio lived a life of extreme piety and never lashed out at those many critics who accused him of trickery.
Also Known As: none
Alternate Spellings: none
Common Misspellings: none
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