The Life Of Padre Pio

The Miraculous Powers of Padre Pio rn   rn One of the most famous shrines in southern Italy is located rnin San Giovanni, Rotondo. This is dedicated to Padre Pio a devout rnCatholic who lived in San Giovanni, Rotondo and was known for his love of Christ rnand supernatural abilities. Every year thousands of visitors visit this shrine rnfrom all over the world. This shrine is famous as it is known as the second-most rnimportant shrines of the world. rn   rn Padre Pio was originally known as Francesco Forgione.  rnHe was part of a religious Catholic family and was taken to the friary in 1903. rnAfter staying in the friary for one year, he took the Capuchin habit and was rnnamed Pio. After being ordained as a priest, he visited many sites and in the rnyear 1916 he came to San Giovanni, Rotondo. He stayed there for 52 years. rnKnown for his love of Christ and eternal devotion to God, Padre Pio was popular rnamong the locals. It is said that during his stay he experienced a number of rnsupernatural abilities and witnessed miraculous events. Stigmata is considered rnas Padre Pio’s most famous gift. It was the in the year 1918 when this amazing rnevent happened. rn   rn It is said that it was in the year 1918 that he received rnthe gift. He was praying before the crucifix. He bled from five different wounds rnfor the rest of his life. All the five wounds are connected to the wounds of rnChrist. As a devout Catholic he was always in war against the evil and it is rnbelieved that he was directly in war with the Devil. As a result he experienced rnseveral cuts and bruises. Padre Pio was happy to help anyone who was in rntrouble, but mostly helped those whose souls are known to be in the purgatory. rnIn the year 1940 Padre Pio started formulating ideas about building a hospital rnin the area. rn   rn He wanted the hospital to be named as Casa Sollievo della rnSofferenza which translates to Home for the Relief of Suffering. Padre Pio rnsaw the opening of the hospital in 1956. Today this hospital is counted among rnthe most efficient hospitals of Europe. In the year 1962 Bishop Karol Wajtyla rnwho later came to be known as Pope John Paul II asked Padre Pio to pray for rnGod’s blessings for Dr. Wanda Poltawska who was suffering from cancer. Later it rnwas known that the cancerous growth in the body has regressed. No one, not even rnthe medical faculty could explain this miraculous change. rn   rn Although many speak of his miraculous powers, many remain rnskeptical questioning his work and ideologies. It was in the year 1999 that Pope rnJohn Paul II declared that Padre Pio was ‘blessed’. He became a saint in rn2002. An estimated half a million people attended the declaration ceremony. In rn2008 Padre Pio’s body was kept near the tomb marking his 40^th death rnanniversary. Although portions of the body suffered from exhumation, there were rnportions which remained intact. The body was repaired and was kept for display rnfor the visitors. The shrine which is built around the tomb of Padre Pio is rnknown as Church of Our Lady of Grace. rn   rn In this shrine the visitors can see a number of things rnassociated with Padre Pio. One can see the cell, the crucifix and almost rneverything that he used or touched during his lifetime. This church was designed rnby Renzo Piano, a Genoan architect. The shrine has a Way of the Cross which is rnpart of the forested hilly area behind the shrine.  You will find a good number rnof hotels in San Giovanni Rotondo which can accommodate thousands of rnvisitors every year. If you want to know about the various hotels in the area, rnyou can browse throughrnrnwww.hotelimmagine.com. rn   rn   rn   rn  

Paolo is author of this article on Hotels in San Giovanni Rotondo.rn Find more information about Bed and Breakfast in San Giovanni Rotondo here.

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