Pio of Pietrelcina

The ministry of Padre Pio unfolded almost entirely at the friary of San Giovanni Rotondo, where he remained from 1916 until his death. For more than half a century, he dedicated long hours each day to the confessional, welcoming pilgrims who came from all over Italy and the entire world; tradition attributes to him an acute discernment of consciences. Concerned with alleviating physical as well as spiritual suffering, he conceived the creation of a great hospital: the Casa Sollievo della Sofferenza (Home for the Relief of Suffering), inaugurated in May 1956 in San Giovanni Rotondo, became one of the major social achievements of his life. Starting from the years of the Second World War, he encouraged the formation of prayer groups, which spread widely and today count hundreds of thousands of members throughout the world. This dual work—sacramental welcome and organized charity—made him a major figure of 20th-century Italian Catholicism, whose influence extended far beyond the borders of his friary.

The spiritual life of Padre Pio was associated with mystical phenomena, foremost among which were the stigmata. On September 20, 1918, while praying after Mass in the friary of San Giovanni Rotondo, he received the visible marks of the Passion of Christ on his hands, feet, and side; these wounds, examined on several occasions, remained open for some fifty years, until they disappeared as his death approached. His spirituality rested on a life of prolonged prayer, rigorous asceticism, and a deep union with the Eucharist. During the beatification, John Paul II emphasized that Padre Pio had shared in the Passion of Christ with particular intensity and that his spiritual identity was centered on identification with the suffering and crucified Christ. An object of great popular devotion during his lifetime, he also experienced periods of distrust and restrictions imposed by ecclesiastical authority, which he accepted in obedience. His reputation for holiness, founded on his charity, humility, and fidelity, never ceased to grow.

The process for the recognition of the holiness of Padre Pio led to the promulgation of the decree on the heroic nature of his virtues on December 18, 1997, declaring him venerable. For the beatification, the Church recognized the healing of Consiglia De Martino, from Salerno, which was judged scientifically inexplicable; Padre Pio was beatified by Pope John Paul II on May 2, 1999, in Saint Peter's Square, before a considerable crowd. The miracle accepted for the canonization was the healing of Matteo Pio Colella, a child from San Giovanni Rotondo. After the promulgation of the decree on this miracle at the beginning of 2002, Padre Pio was canonized by John Paul II on June 16, 2002, during a ceremony that gathered hundreds of thousands of the faithful. Inscribed in the liturgical calendar under the name of Saint Pio of Pietrelcina, he is celebrated on September 23, the anniversary of his death.

Saint Pio of Pietrelcina is among the most popular figures of contemporary Catholic holiness. San Giovanni Rotondo, where his remains rest, has become one of the main pilgrimage centers in Italy, welcoming several million visitors each year; a modern shrine was built there to accommodate the influx of the faithful. The Casa Sollievo della Sofferenza hospital that he founded remains a major healthcare institution, testifying to his desire to unite the service of God and the service of the sick. The prayer groups he inspired continue to bring together the faithful throughout the world. His devotion is maintained by countless associations and brotherhoods, and his image—that of a bearded Capuchin with gloved hands concealing the stigmata—is widely disseminated. Padre Pio is notably invoked as a protector of the sick and those who suffer, in continuation of the work of charity to which he dedicated his life.