Christian Saints & Early Church Fathers Codexery

Padre Pio

Italian Capuchin friar, priest, stigmatist, and mystic; venerated as a saint.

His monastery at San Giovanni Rotondo became a major pilgrimage site after his death.[1][2]

Quick Facts

Birth name
Francesco Forgione
Born
25 May 1887
Birthplace
Pietrelcina, Province of Benevento, Kingdom of Italy
Died
23 September 1968
Place of death
San Giovanni Rotondo, Foggia, Italy
Feast day
23 September
Titles
Confessor of the Faith
Venerated in
Catholic Church

Facts from the source article.

Life and work

At age 15 he entered the Capuchin novitiate, taking the name Fra Pio.[3] He was ordained a priest on 10 August 1910.[4] Due to poor health, he remained with his family in Pietrelcina until 1916, writing letters about mystical experiences to his spiritual directors.[5] He then moved to the Capuchin friary in San Giovanni Rotondo, where he lived until his death.[6]

On 20 September 1918, he reportedly received the permanent stigmata on his hands and feet.[7][8] He founded the Casa Sollievo della Sofferenza hospital, which opened in 1956.[9][10] The Vatican imposed severe sanctions on him in the 1920s, including forbidding public Mass and confessions.[11][12] He was beatified on 2 May 1999 and canonized on 16 June 2002 by Pope John Paul II.[1][9]

Francesco Forgione came into the world on 25 May 1887 in Pietrelcina, a town in the Southern Italian region of Campania, to parents who were peasant farmers.[13]

What the cited sources add

The same source notes that the Casa Sollievo della Sofferenza was opened on 5 May 1956.[9] A Catholic News Agency account reports that the hospital's construction began in 1947 with only 4 million Italian Lira in the bank.[14] The BBC states that for years the Vatican opposed the cult around Padre Pio but later granted him full sainthood.[2] A book by Rev. Father Jean states that he was the only priest to have borne the stigmata.[15]

According to the official biography from the Libreria Editrice Vaticana, following his priestly ordination he lived with his family in Pietrelcina until 1916 because of his poor health.[9] The same EWTN source notes that a Capuchin friar reported that during a stay in Venafro, Padre Pio was able to survive for a minimum of 20 days with only the Holy Eucharist as nourishment.[16][17]

References

  1. Wikipedia, "Padre Pio" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "Padre Pio da Pietrelcina", Libreria Editrice Vaticana; "Saint Pio of Pietrelcina", www.bbc.co.uk; B., "Padre Pio : the true story", Our Sunday Visitor Publ. Div, 1991 (we also read that source) en.wikipedia.org
  2. "Saint Pio of Pietrelcina", www.bbc.co.uk. facts only, no text reused. bbc.co.uk
  3. Wikipedia, "Padre Pio" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "Chronological Data", Padre Pio Group - Official Site; "Padre Pio the Man Part 1"; Convento Pietralcina, "La chiesetta di Sant'Anna", cappuccinipietrelcina.com; Ruffin 1991, p. 444 (we also read that source) en.wikipedia.org
  4. Wikipedia, "Padre Pio" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "Chronological Data", Padre Pio Group - Official Site; padrepiodapietrelcina.com, "The Church of Saint Mary of the Angels in Pietrelcina", Portal dedicated to Padre Pio: history and prayer padrepiodapietrelcina.com, 2015-09-02; Bosco, "Pietrelcina, 14 agosto 1910. La Prima Messa di Padre Pio - Portale ufficiale di Padre Pio da Pietrelcina", 2025-08-14 (we also read that source) en.wikipedia.org
  5. Wikipedia, "Padre Pio" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "Padre Pio da Pietrelcina", Libreria Editrice Vaticana; Luzzatto 2011, p. 19; Luzzatto 2011, p. 19; Rega 2005, p. 19-20 (we also read that source) en.wikipedia.org
  6. Wikipedia, "Padre Pio" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "Saint Pio and the Veterans", Saint Pio Foundation; Cataneo, "Padre Pio: Glimpse into the Miraculous", Pauline Books and Media, 5 February 2019 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  7. Wikipedia, "Padre Pio" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Luzzatto 2011, p. 19; Luzzatto 2011, p. 19 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  8. Wikipedia, "Padre Pio" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Castelli 2011, p. pages not specified. (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  9. "Padre Pio da Pietrelcina", Libreria Editrice Vaticana. facts only, no text reused. vatican.va
  10. Wikipedia, "Padre Pio" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Luzzatto 2011, p. 19; Castelli 2011, p. pages not specified.; "Catholics: A Padre's Patience", April 24, 1964; Marie osb, "Letter on Blessed Pader Pio: Stigmata – Sacraments of Penance and Eucharist – Suffering", July 2025; "Catholics: A Padre's Patience", April 24, 1964 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  11. Wikipedia, "Padre Pio" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "Restrictive Measures from the Holy See", www.operapadrepio.it (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  12. Wikipedia, "Padre Pio" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Allen, "For all who feel put upon by the Vatican: A new patron saint of Holy Rehabilitation", National Catholic Reporter, December 28, 2001; "Religion: The Stigmatist", December 19, 1949; "Padre Pio the Man Part 2"; Sergio Luzzatto, Padre Pio: Miracles and Politics in a Secular Age, pp 121; The Canon Law Digest: 1917-1933, pp 158 (we also read that source) en.wikipedia.org
  13. Wikipedia, "Padre Pio" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "Portale Antenati", Portale Antenati; Ruffin 1991, p. 444; Kalvelage, F.I., "Padre Pio: The Wonder Worker", Franciscan Friars of the Immaculate, May 13, 1999, p. 124-125; Gerhold, "The Second St. Francis", The Angelus, 2007-02-20, p. 12–18; Gerhold, "The Second St. Francis", The Angelus, 2007-02-20, p. 12–18; Ruffin 1991, p. 444 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  14. Brockhaus, "The hospital on a hill: Padre Pio's earthly work", Catholic News Agency, 20 July 2018. facts only, no text reused. ewtnnews.com
  15. Rev. Father Jean, OFM., Cap., "St. Padre Pio", www.olrl.org. facts only, no text reused. olrl.org
  16. "Padre Pio the Man Part 2". facts only, no text reused. ewtn.com
  17. Wikipedia, "Padre Pio" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "Padre Pio the Man Part 2"; Pelletier, "Padre Pio, Mary, and the Rosary", Garabandal; Di Flumeri, "La Permanenza di Padre Pio a Venafro", Convento S. Maria delle Grazie, 1977 (we also read that source) en.wikipedia.org

Each numbered sentence above was checked against the source it cites before publication. Sentences citing Wikipedia adapt text from the English Wikipedia article Padre Pio (contributors), used under CC BY-SA 4.0; this entry is available under the same licence. Other sources were used for facts only; no text or images are copied from them.

More in Christian Saints & Early Church Fathers

Philip the ApostleMarcion of SinopeNestoriusPope Alexander IInnocent of AlaskaJames, son of AlphaeusJames the GreatJohn of ÁvilaJude the ApostleJunípero SerraLazarus of BethanyLuke the Evangelist

Spotted an error? Know more?

Reader corrections go straight into our review queue. Suggest an edit · How this site is sourced

Comments

Loading…
Open in the interactive codex →

Also in the Codexery

Padre Pio · Founders Of New Religious Movements