Knowra Padre Pio Padre Pio Padre Pio (1887–1968), born Francesco Forgione, was an Italian Capuchin friar, priest, and mystic. He became known for reported stigmata, spiritual counsel, and the hospital he founded near San Giovanni Rotondo.
Pope John Paul II : The pope from 1978 to 2005 who canonized Padre Pio in 2002. He presided over Padre Pio’s canonization, formalizing his recognition as a saint.
Stigmata : Marks or wounds resembling those of Jesus’s crucifixion, reported in some Christian mystical traditions. Padre Pio was widely associated with wounds on his hands, feet, and side.
Casa Sollievo della Sofferenza : A hospital in San Giovanni Rotondo, Italy, founded by Padre Pio and opened in 1956. It was his most substantial project for providing practical care to the sick.
Holy Office : The former name of the Roman Catholic body now called the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith. It imposed restrictions on Padre Pio’s public ministry amid investigations of his conduct and claims.
Alessandro da Ripabottoni : An Italian Capuchin friar and biographer of Padre Pio. His writings helped shape accounts of Padre Pio’s life and spiritual reputation.
Canonization : The Catholic Church’s formal declaration that a deceased person is a saint and may be publicly venerated. This process culminated in Padre Pio’s recognition as a saint in 2002.
San Giovanni Rotondo : A town in Apulia, Italy, where Padre Pio lived and served for most of his religious life. His friary, hospital, and shrine made the town the center of his ministry.
Religious skepticism : Doubt about religious claims, institutions, or supernatural explanations. Skeptics have questioned natural explanations for the reported stigmata and other phenomena.
Agostino Gemelli : An Italian Franciscan friar, physician, and psychologist who examined claims of mystical phenomena. His 1920 assessment of Padre Pio’s stigmata became a point of dispute.
Beatification : A Catholic declaration permitting public veneration of a deceased person within specified limits. Padre Pio was beatified in 1999, before his canonization.
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