Italy's Padre Pio 'faked his stigmata with acid'

Telegraph ^ | October 24, 2007 | Malcolm Moore

[NYer]

The Other Christ: Padre Pio and 19th Century Italy, by the historian Sergio Luzzatto, draws on a document found in the Vatican's archive.

	Padre Pio exhibited stigmata throughout his life, starting in 1911

The document reveals the testimony of a pharmacist who said that the young Padre Pio bought four grams of carbolic acid in 1919.

"I was an admirer of Padre Pio and I met him for the first time on 31 July 1919," wrote Maria De Vito.

She claimed to have spent a month with the priest in the southern town of San Giovanni Rotondo, seeing him often.

"Padre Pio called me to him in complete secrecy and telling me not to tell his fellow brothers, he gave me personally an empty bottle, and asked if I would act as a chauffeur to transport it back from Foggia to San Giovanni Rotondo with four grams of pure carbolic acid.

"He explained that the acid was for disinfecting syringes for injections. He also asked for other things, such as Valda pastilles."

The testimony was originally presented to the Vatican by the Archbishop of Manfredonia, Pasquale Gagliardi, as proof that Padre Pio caused his own stigmata with acid.

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It was examined by the Holy See during the beatification process of Padre Pio and apparently dismissed.

Padre Pio, whose real name was Francesco Forgione, died in 1968. He was made a saint in 2002. A recent survey in Italy showed that more people prayed to him than to Jesus or the Virgin Mary. He exhibited stigmata throughout his life, starting in 1911.

The new allegations were greeted with an instant dismissal from his supporters. The Catholic Anti-Defamation League said Mr Luzzatto was a liar and was "spreading anti-Catholic libels".

Pietro Siffi, the president of the League, said: "We would like to remind Mr Luzzatto that according to Catholic doctrine, canonisation carries with it papal infallibility.

"We would like to suggest to Mr Luzzatto that he dedicates his energies to studying religion properly."

[PAR35]

We are the Body of Jesus Christ.

That's a statement that I haven't read before. Could you expound on it a little? It is a concept which is certainly foreign to Protestant theology.

[ears_to_hear]

One great piece of advice I was given lately was not to engage in conversation with demons.

I assume that means you do not like what I am saying.

Truth is often difficult, especially if it means we have to reconsider what we have been taught to believe.

[ears_to_hear]

Hey guy,

Hello!

[ears_to_hear]

That's a statement that I haven't read before. Could you expound on it a little? It is a concept which is certainly foreign to Protestant theology.

What kind of non Catholic are you?

Protestants believe that the church, made up of the elect is the body of Christ.

http://www.ldolphin.org/church3.html

[Uri’el-2012]

Hey !

I just love it when you drive by.

You excoriate them with their own documents.

shalom b'shem Yah'shua

[Tax-chick]

... at Mt. Athos right now there are several spiritual fathers, elders, who are known to bilocate.

Kewl.

The newsletter from our curriculum provider had a piece about a teenage boy, one of the students, who was observed to bilocate. He was seen at his church at the same time as he was being killed by a car on his street. Or something like that. They said he was a very holy young man.

[pillut48]

Thank you all for the answers you posted to my question—I haven’t had a chance to read them all but will later.

[Salvation]

**Italy’s Padre Pio ‘faked his stigmata with acid’ **

What a lunatic article.

The book I finished reading about Padre Pio by Ruffin speaks of observation of him on long intervals. I don’t remember the exact hours right now.

Sometimes people were with him constantly.

Another thing...........as he got closer and closer to death, the stigmata disappeared slowly. When he did die, he had no traces of any stigmata, any scars — nothing was there.

Acid would have left indications of burning.

Like I said above, what a lunatic story.

[Salvation]

What book did you read?

[HarleyD]

The new allegations were greeted with an instant dismissal from his supporters. The Catholic Anti-Defamation League said Mr Luzzatto was a liar and was "spreading anti-Catholic libels"..."We would like to suggest to Mr Luzzatto that he dedicates his energies to studying religion properly."

Typical response.

[Mrs. Don-o]

Dear Tiki, I will pray for your mother.

May angels lead her into Paradise;
may the martyrs receive her at her coming
and lead her to the holy city of Jerusalem.
May a choir of angels receive her,
and with Lazarus,
who once was poor,
may she have eternal rest.
Amen.

[Mrs. Don-o]

Reason and historical facts don’t seem to have any impact.

This perplexes me. Are you not aware that Bible-believing Christians have asked the saints and angels to pray with and for them since at least a millennium before the Protestant era? On what authority do you say that your personal opinion trumps all the centuries of Christian belief and practice?

[Mrs. Don-o]

Normal human beings are told NOT to talk

Chapter and verse, please.

[Mrs. Don-o]

Normal human beings are told NOT to talk

Chapter and verse, please.

[DaGman]

Catholics pray to saints in the same manner I am posting to you or I talk to my neighbor. In essence, praying and talking are essentially the same. When we ask for something, we do it in Jesus' name or God's name. That saint or even someone else that has died and is in heaven can ask God for a favor for you.

[Mrs. Don-o]

You Catholics are saying that praying to Jesus is to no effect.

I'm surprised at you, Tolkein.

This is untrue, and a slander against Catholics. It is contradicted by every possible source of Catholic teaching: the Bible, the Fathers, the Councils, the encyclicals, the catechisms, the daily practiuce of Catholics --- everything.

And it is against God's commandment for you to bear this false witness against your Catholic neighbor.

[Salvation]

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/1916285/posts?page=40#40

May The Lord bless you and keep you;  

May the Lord make his face to shine upon you, and be gracious to you;

May the Lord lift up his countenance upon you, and give you peace.

And may Our Lady bless you with   her maternal love

In the name of the Father, and of the Son
and the Holy Spirit. Amen

Catholic Prayer Ping

Please address all prayers to tiki;    

If you would like to be added to the Catholic Prayer Ping List, please FReepmail me.

 

[Mrs. Don-o]

You don’t believe in intercessory prayer?

[Salvation]

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/1916285/posts?page=40#40

Prayer ping.

Please post your replies to tiki;  

Please know that I am praying. May God provide healing in this situation.

Blessings,
[Salvation for] trussell

If you want on/off trussell's prayer ping list, please let Salvation know. All requests happily honored.

[Quix]

The clarity of Scriptures regarding the utter Supremacy of Christ is more than sufficient for me

to trump anything else mortal man might concoct.