Francesco Forgione was the child of a peasant family. He had less than other children ate and slept little, severe febrile seizures by a miracle survived. At the age of 16 he joined the Capuchins as a novice in his hometown and received the Order name Pio. Among his troubles whether ailing health - he suffered from tuberculosis - he lives by the ascetic, the graduate theological studies and was 1910 in the Cathedral of Benevento ordained. Until 1915 he was in his hometown of Pietrelcina as an assistant Ortspfarrers active From 1916 as a monk in the Capuchin monastery in San Giovanni Rotondo. 1918 appeared on his body suddenly, the five wounds of Christ, who for the first stigmatized priest in the history of the Catholic Church did, and until his death remained visible.

Soon came the first pilgrimage to Padre Pio at his monastery in San Giovanni Rotondo and saw him in his reality shows such as reverie. He was confessor to the "apostle of the confessional, his prophetic gift was widely praised, he was one of the greatest mystics of the 20th Century, the Catholic Church distanced itself from him, however, described him as "hysterical", even forbade him from 1922 to 1934 the reading of the Fair and answering pastoral letters. The stigma led to repeated medical examinations arranged church. In order to hide the wounds, mostly Padre Pio wore fingerless gloves.

 
Padre Pio celebrating the fair
People familiar Padre Pio; From 1940 he began suffering of the pilgrims by hand or with words to alleviate or even cure. In the poor, the sick and the suffering he saw the image of Christ, especially his work was regarded them of charity. The young Polish priest Karol Woityla, who later became Pope John Paul II, he is on a visit in 1947, both the election for head of the Catholic Church as well as the assassination in 1981 have predicted. As Auxiliary Bishop of Krakow Karol Woityla directed in a letter to Padre Pio asking specific advocacy for a cancer in a sick mother and family doctor and the son of a lawyer from his diocese to hold. More Letters Woityla wrote him during his stay at the 2nd Vatican Council.

 
Padre Pio has a Fair, 1964. When asked when he suffers the most, he replied: "I suffer always. But I suffer the most when I hl. Mass offerings, because then I am on Golgotha. "
It is interesting how the reputation of the charismatic Capuchin with each new pope changed: Benedict XV. was rather skeptical, Pius XI. wanted him to remove from the priesthood, Pope Pius XII. however, was pleased with him. John XXIII. was officially a declared enemy of Padre Pio, in private, he wrote 1960 records even of the "enormous, diabolical planned disaster of souls" that this damage. Paul VI. it was fairly weighed again, with John Paul II was the turning point, then the Blessed and the canonization.

The Turinese historian Sergio Luzzatto published study of 2007 "Padre Pio. Miracles and politics in Italy in the twentieth century ", in which he sources from the Vatican reproduced that Padre Pio from 1918 - the year of its stigma - for a local pharmacist, large quantities of Karbolsäure bought, no doubt to burn through the hands of a little miracle take its. The pharmacist then turned confidentially to the local bishop, who wrote the 1920 horrified Pope Benedict XV., But the letters remained silent until recently in the archives of the Holy Office. *

From donations 1956 Padre Pio was one of the most modern hospitals in southern Italy to build the "Casa del Sollievo della Sofferenza", "House of the consolation of suffering" in San Giovanni Rotondo. For his "tesoretto" that he received income of donations made, he settled in the last years of life from the vow of poverty exempt, which is now accumulated at least one hundred million euros. The Vatican sent a few years ago, specifically a financial manager for an overview of the burgeoning prosperity of the Order of begging to get.

 
The Padre Pio in San Giovanni Rotondo Hospital built "house of comfort and suffering"
Today in Italy there are over 2300 prayer groups, based on the spirituality of Padre Pio are based, plus a further 400 groups around the world. San Giovanni Rotondo is now the most visited place of pilgrimage for the help-seekers from all over the world: 7 million visitors come every year, almost twice as many as the Sanctuary of Bernadette Soubirous to Lourdes, daily € 1 million will be implemented. According to drafts of the architect Renzo Piano was in 2004 a large church.

Padre Pio in Italy is by far the most popular saint, television about him have record-breaking audience figures. In 2008, Italian Catholics expressed in a survey, in faith, first and foremost things to Padre Pio to turn - with giant space before Mary and Jesus Christ. Beginning in March 2008 the sarcophagus was opened in which the mortal remains of Padre Pio stores were, now they are issued for public worship, which should also become the first low-power pilgrims in San Giovanni Rotondo to swell again. The people who come here are almost exclusively Italians, the majority from the Mezzogiorno, the buses with their parish priests or closed in Pio prayer groups arrive.

 
Pope John Paul II at the beatification of Padre Pio in May 1999 in the Lateran
  Kanonisation: In 1999, Padre Pio Pope John Paul II in St Peter's Square in Rome - the huge crowd who wanted to attend the ceremony, could not comprehend - beatified. In June 2002, nearly 1 million to creditors canonization; never in recent church history up to then was a person so soon after her death, a saint.

* Walter Donitzky Our reader writes: "I am surprised but very happy that you are the spokesman of the largest libel action against Padre Pio made by the Bishop of Manfredonia in ordinariate started. Everything you write about the Karbolsäure is a plot of the local bishop, which is a declared enemy of Padre Pio was. Only then could a trusting 'the letter to Benedict XV. arrive in the purchase of the Karbolsäure talking. This is a mess to between the druggists and the bishop. In addition, the bishop many other Rufmordkampagnen started, but ultimately not the credibility of Padre Pio was undermined. ... How can you really say that one day before his death, the stigmata suddenly without burning marks on the skin are gone? Karbolsäure leaves Ätzspuren, and it takes weeks or months until they heal. Moreover, they remain detectable for a long time. "