This is the London Telegraph's "objective" headline: Italy's Padre Pio 'faked his stigmata with acid'
Here's a quote:
Padre Pio, Italy's most-loved saint, faked his stigmata by pouring carbolic acid on his hands, according to a new book.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.
It was examined by the Holy See during the beatification process of Padre Pio and apparently dismissed.
I knew London and Europe were Godless, but I'm still disappointed to see how desperate they are to justify their abandonment of Christian values and reckless pursuit of the ephemeral pleasures of this life without any thought about how those pleasures came to exist (as though they can be had apart from God or could even exist without God). People seem to think that God's gifts can be enjoyed without advertence to their nature. They ignore the fact that violating the natural law by using any being in a manner inconsistent with its nature harms the user (and often the person or thing being used improperly). They simply pursue every perceived good as though it was due to them by divine right and genuinely seem to believe themselves to be the true arbiters of the nature of good and evil, which (for them) always conveniently coincides with whatever most pleases them at any given moment, regardless of inconsistencies in their logic. They often don't care if they hurt other people, and they'll tolerate evils like abortion for expediency's sake, but are the first to complain of any perceived injustice, and they'll still deny any talk of an objective moral law with a straight face right after complaining that something isn't fair or just (as though such concepts could exist without a standard with which to measure the justice or fairness of a thing).
The only thing that stands in the way of their insane delusions about the nature of reality is the sound human philosophy and divinely revealed Theology contained within Catholic teaching. The Catholic faith is a genuine threat to such people, and they will not rest until they convince themselves and as many other people as possible that they are not living evil lives. It is a sad state of affairs when the only way to make yourself look good is by trying to make others look worse than you are, and that is the motive of lies like this.
They way around these lies is to point to the myriad of other miracles and mystical phenomena within the Church. Let's see them explain the Eucharistic Miracle of Lanciano, the incorrupt bodies of the saints, the miraculous cures attributed to the intercession of those who have been canonized and beatified, the liquefaction of the blood of St. Januarius, the Miracle of the Sun at Fatima, the miraculous cures at Lourdes, or even the fact that the Catholic Church has outlasted every human institution in all of recorded history, including those that began before the Church was founded. Let them try and explain away the fact that the apostles were martyred for their proclamation of the Resurrection of Jesus Christ, which they, in an effort to salve their consciences, have to pretend to have been a hoax. Would you let people kill you to perpetuate belief in something you absolutely knew for a fact to be a lie? Before anyone tries to say so, that's not the same thing as being a suicide bomber for the glory of Islam. Such people may genuinely (albeit erroneously) believe their convictions to be true, but they did not invent their errors, whereas the apostles would have had to do so, since the articulation of the Resurrection originated with them.
Once the Divinity of Christ is established, it's a small step to establish the infallible authority of the Church He founded, promised to preserve in Truth and promised to remain with until the consummation of the world.
From thence we can move to the infallible authority of St. Padre Pio's canonization and realize that lies like those being spread about St. Padre Pio are another desperate attempt to justify the immoral lifestyles of those who spread them.
Any thoughts?
In a world where Christ Himself is mocked, it's no surprise that His saints will be treated likewise.
In fact, considering the recent attack on Mother Teresa, and now Padre Pio, I would not tbe surprised if these attacks on the saints become more common.
Posted by: Khaled | Tuesday, October 23, 2007 at 11:15 PM
Didn't Christ say that no servant is greater than their master, and for that reason His followers could expect the same sort of persecution He experienced?
This hit piece on Padre Pio is a good example but not the only one. Seems everytime I identify myself as a practicing Catholic I draw fire about clergy sexual abuse, how religion is for the insecure, how the one listener can't understand why the Church is so adamantly against abortion, etc.
And I'd be surprised if others reading these comments aren't nodding their heads in agreement.
IMHO we're in for a very long period of it getting worse before it gets better. Buckle up, it's gonna be a wild ride!
Posted by: Subvet | Wednesday, October 24, 2007 at 02:54 AM
Subvet, you are right. Sadly, we get to be blamed for everything. A classmate of mind stated that the Inquisition was designed to eradicate Jews and pagans. LOL, that is a lie of course but so many people have become so blind and are willing to believe the absolute worst of the Catholic Church. We know that we have to suffer as well as Our Lord did and still is ridiculed. It is sick that they want to smear St. Padre Pio. This isn't the first nor the last time they will do this. Look at what they have done to Pope Pius XII and Mother Teresa, etc. Oh well, let they idiots wallow in their own lies. We know the truth. All we can do is pray for them and continue to practice our Faith.
Posted by: Rachel | Wednesday, October 24, 2007 at 11:29 AM
The Archbishop of Manfredonia, St. Pio's contemporary, was an enemy of Padre Pio, as were other clerics whose lives were not in keeping with their office. This document and the witnesses were probably a result of their efforts. Many lies such as these circulated about Padre during his lifetime, which was one of the reasons Pio was silenced for a time. There have been plenty of doctors who examined Padre Pio's stigmata and testified to its authenticity. When the wounds disappeared shortly before he died, there were no scars. That should be proof enough.
Posted by: Terry | Wednesday, October 24, 2007 at 06:31 PM
This is not only an attack against the Saints and the Catholic Church but against God. There is an on going campaign to discredit the Catholic Church and so turn more and more people away from God Himself. The Church is a prime target because they stand for Holiness, they stand for morality, they stand for Christ. There are many who would like to bring persecution upon all Christians by discrediting them and ultimately silencing them.
Posted by: linda | Wednesday, October 24, 2007 at 10:22 PM
It just shows with comments against all of these Godly people, that satan is still trying to get everyone to join him in hell. When are people going to wake up?
Posted by: | Thursday, October 25, 2007 at 09:03 AM
This person had better BEWARE! Don't mess with our beloved St. Padre Pio! Another thought on all of this anti-Catholic stuff is to keep the faith and study it so that you can answer correctly these critics. The Holy Spirit will guide us through these troubled times and will help us to grow in Christ.
Posted by: AnnaRose | Thursday, October 25, 2007 at 09:17 AM
This is blasphemy. It is blasphemy against God who was pleased to bestow on this humble man the stigmata. I think the devil is just trying to discredit Padre Pio even after his death and his canonization.
Posted by: | Thursday, October 25, 2007 at 09:18 AM
This is no surprise as the good church is forever being placed under scrutiny. The devil is having a great time with media,tv, music,internet, etc. If they cannot see, therefore, they do not believe but will believe any other type of rubbish in the process. We need to stick together as Christians because even Our Lord Jesus said that in the last days there would be very few believers, and I think those days are now unfortunately.
Posted by: Kylie | Thursday, October 25, 2007 at 09:43 AM
What do you expect when Man everywhere champions the MURDER OF THE UNBORN - all manner of rot crawls out from the darkness trying to destroy the Followers of Christ - St Pio on Earth was often riduculed. So in Heaven, as he did on Earth, he will no doubt turn the celestrial cheek and forgive - we who are still on the road following Christ's teaching will be attacked 'often' through Our Saints because THEY are trying to undermine the value the beauty and the love of being a Christian - Praise be Our Lord Jesus Christ forever.
Posted by: S | Thursday, October 25, 2007 at 10:07 AM
I read that an atheist was confronting Padre Pio & was converted to Christianity. God does work in mysterious ways!
Posted by: Tina Marie | Thursday, October 25, 2007 at 10:58 AM
The acid claim was mentioned by NCR back in 2001...
http://www.nationalcatholicreporter.org/word/word1228.htm
"In 1922 a well-known Italian theologian and physician, Franciscan Fr. Agostino Gemelli, a specialist on the subject of stigmata cases, concluded that Padre Pio was a “hysteric” and the stigmata was self-induced. (Gemelli, by the way, was the founder of Rome’s Gemelli hospital, where John Paul II receives much of his health care). Gemelli speculated that Padre Pio kept his wounds open with carbolic acid."
I don't know if acid was used or not. I am only pointing out that the acid claim is not a new development.
Posted by: KJ | Thursday, October 25, 2007 at 11:32 AM
Thomastic
I agree in total with your thoughts and comments
With regards to Padre Pio, he was a great man and clergy for the church, and whether his stigmatas were real or not in my opinion means nothing
These past 26 years the Vatican has been a saint factory with JPII canonizing almost anyone, more than all popes combined over 500 years and I dont think 1% can compare to what Padre Pio meant to many here on this earth
For that matter I probably couldnt name 10 of those who have been named by JPII and now Pope B16 but we all know Padre Pio and what he meant to millions without the disgrace that so many who call themselves clergy have brought today
Posted by: Frank | Thursday, October 25, 2007 at 12:43 PM
Saint Pio prayed for all souls not just some. So even his enemies are being prayed for in heaven, which is comforting. I`m sure St. Pio is keeping a special eye on them. Remember he would say,pray, hope and don`t worry. Lets not make to much of a stir out of this,it only brings more confusion. Let them say what they want to, and continue to pray, pray,pray. Andy Keszei.
Posted by: andy | Thursday, October 25, 2007 at 01:30 PM
So what's new? apparently the devil and his disciples are really busy discrediting holy saints like Padre Pio! This should be another PROOF that Padre Pio is a real saint! Otherwise, satan will not use his people to do so!!!
Keep the process going!!! the more the criticism the more credence for our holy saints and the Catholic Church.
Praise you Jesus!!!
Posted by: Tony | Thursday, October 25, 2007 at 03:47 PM
It is apparent that Satan and it's cohorts have mapped out strategies as to how to pull down the Church and as many soulS as possible by
1. Mind control (using kidnapped children who have become adults; and those who have been through mind control process to perform the insane work which we have been seeing all around)
2. Inflicting subtle demonic influence over the clergy over the years (including demon of pedophile), then waited for the right time exposed the scandle in a global scale at one stroke.
2. Desecrate anything that and anyone who is holy (the recent gay who received the Lord from the Vicar's hand in San Francesco). By the way, those gay should never be refered to as "sister."
3. Discredit anyone who is a model of holiness either dead or alived. In this case, it is Padre Pio.
4. Their goal is to desensitized the public and the faithful, and in hope that eventually the public and the faithful will accept Satan's final attack on the Truth of the "Ressurrection of Jesus."
5. Then, the Ancient Dragon will disguise as the 'Savior' appeared as Christ in the sky with artifical cloud under the help of the government.
WATCH OUT, FLOKS. NEVER GIVE INTO THESE TRAPS. IF YOU WANT TO FIGHT, PICK UP THE WEAPON OF ROSARY. PRAY THE ROSARY WHICH WILL CHAIN THE SERPENT FOR GOOD.
BE ALERT FOR ALL FORMS OF DECEPTIONS:
1 BE CAREFUL ALL FORMS OF HALF TRUTH IN LANGUAGE AND LOGOS, SIGNS, ETC. FOR EXAMPLE, BE AWARE OF THE WORD 'CHRIST' IF THERE IS NO 'JESUS' ATTACH TO 'CHRIST.' BECAUSE IT CAN BE ANTI-CHRIST.
FOR PRO-LIFERS, WATCH OUT THE LOGOS AND WHOEVER MADE THE LOGOS - 'FROM CONCEPTION TO ETERNITY"
'FROM CONCEPTION TO HEAVEN.'
DO NOT BUY INTO THESE SUBTLE DECEPTION - ETERNAITY CAN BE HELL TOO. UNBELIVERS BELIEVE IN HEAVEN AS WELL, BUT NOT THE SAME HEAVEN AS THE HEAVEN CHRITIANS BELIVE.
THE TRUE LOGO FOR PRO-LIFER SHOULD BE:
------------------------------
FROM CONCEPTION TO NATUAL DEAD.
------------------------------
NOW, YOU GET THE IDEA HOW TO BE CUNNY TO DETECT THE DECEPTION.
PADRE PIO PRAY FOR US.
Posted by: | Thursday, October 25, 2007 at 06:13 PM
We must pray for these people. They are throwing away their eternal life. How sad that this secular world has affected so many people. One other thing we need to do is to bless ourselves and say our prayers before we eat when we are out, wear a crucifix or a Divine Mercy pin, always act like true disciples of Christ, etc. We need to show the world what believers of Jesus are like and to witness by our actions.
Posted by: Maryanne | Thursday, October 25, 2007 at 07:25 PM
I moved from the UK to Ireland 3 years ago and because I have an active faith a lot of my wifes family think Im a bit odd even although they participate regularly in NEW AGE channeling and stuff.
Ireland is supposed to be a strong catholic faith but Im finding that as a believer against abortion, gay rights etc I'm now in the minority. We must remain strong in Christ and defend our faith and defend the reputation of Holy people like Padre Pio. God bless you all
Posted by: Tom McMurray | Thursday, October 25, 2007 at 08:21 PM
Either people are going to believe it or they aren't. Isn't that the way it is with Christianity anyway?If you are a Christian you continue to look for ways to help you with your faith, if you aren't you look for ways to reinforce your dislike of religious ideas, actions and words. The bottom line is that as Christians we cannot let our beliefs be shaped by the secular world. As a Protestant (shock, shock!) who loves the Catholic Church (more shock, shock) I find it totally irrelevant to my faith and my belief in and love for Padre Pio what anyone says now that he has left this earthly place. Surely you have heard these rumors before. I had. It makes no difference to me what anyone has to say about Padre Pio. All you have to do is look at his life and you will know what he was and what he believed. Surely a man of his faith would never perpetrate such a fraud. At the very least he would be defrauding himself. Christians should keep their eyes fixed on Jesus Christ, the Bible and the Church instead of relying on and being swayed by the secular press. Look, in the end we must make our own decisions about this life and the God who created it. I am a Protestant and I believe in the Saints and intercession, I believe in the Blessed Mother and the Rosary. I love Pope John Paul II, Mother Teresa, St. Peter the Apostle, Saint Bernadette, and Padre Pio. Do all Protestants understand how I feel? No. Do I care that they understand how I feel. No, not really. I follow as I am led. I love church history and that is not usually taught in Protestant churches. Well not any further back than Martin Luther. But as a Christian I am led by bigger proddings than the church can provide. As the church turns toward secularism to accept abortion and gay marriage, Christians must stand,at times against the winds of change, even if many churches sanction those changes. The sad thing is that many Protestants don't know about Padre Pio, Lourdes, Fatima and the Vatican. Just as sad is that many Catholics don't realize how many Protestants believe in Padre Pio, the Blessed Virgin, Fatima and Lourdes. Many Protestants say the Rosary and love John Paul II. We are all the victims of misconceptions and this one about Padre Pio is the same. If we are true to our beliefs then we will follow them no matter who says we are wrong. God will have the final say and I will love to read the headlines on that day. God Bless You All.
Posted by: Theresa | Thursday, October 25, 2007 at 09:50 PM
it is so sad to see so many who can be scared to believe in FAITH. I know St Padre Pio is a saint!!! I wish people would spend time speaking to Jesus and Mary instead of fighting faith. They will be so scared when they die and have to face the loving face of Jesus. The one they deny and slander, All we can do for them is pray for them and hope the people who listen to them get to know the truth. God is love. St padre pio is love of God
Posted by: virginia fly | Thursday, October 25, 2007 at 11:43 PM
it is so sad to see so many who can be scared to believe in FAITH. I know St Padre Pio is a saint!!! I wish people would spend time speaking to Jesus and Mary instead of fighting faith. They will be so scared when they die and have to face the loving face of Jesus. The one they deny and slander, All we can do for them is pray for them and hope the people who listen to them get to know the truth. God is love. St padre pio is love of God
Posted by: virginia fly | Thursday, October 25, 2007 at 11:43 PM
Slow day in the press when they have nothing better to do than run stories like this. I guess it sells more papers than say, I dunno, discussing the persecution of the Catholic Church in Islamic lands?
When you stand back and look at the Catholic Church as a whole... Well you can make claims about St. Pio, you can discount Mother Theresa, you can dismantle Our Lady of Guadalupe, one by one by one... Or at least try...
But in the end all these saints, miracles, apparitions, lives of holiness - they are all one big ball of a collection of conspiracies and cover ups? The KGB files can't be kept secret, the identity of Deep Throat is revealed, the identity of CIA operatives gets leaked...
But the Vatican and the Catholic faithful around the world are able to propogate millions of hoaxes? They can all be explained away as pius fabrications? Fatima was a Mass halicination, the shround of Turin was a midieval forgery, the incorrupt bodies of saints were just preserved by humidity, the Eucharistic miracles are just frauds... I have heard and read all of these claims before.
REALLY amazing at how tight-lipped and under control the Vatican keeps all of these conspiracies and frauds. Makes you wonder if the Jesuits really are as powerful as the fundamentalist tracts say they are!
On balance I give this news story about as much credence as I do the doctor who diagnosed JP2's "assisted suicide" by watching the news. Which is to say, I don't give it any credence at all.
Posted by: A Simple Sinner | Friday, October 26, 2007 at 04:30 AM
I believe that Padre Pio is a saint, but I have problem with the infallibility of the canonization process, since John XXIII was beatified. Can someone explain to me (us, who are similarly scandalized) how was this possible? John destroyed the traditional Church, and opened it up for all kinds of errors, with the help of the mason fraternity in the Vatican.
Posted by: former seminarian | Friday, October 26, 2007 at 06:51 AM
Former seminarian
The answer to your question is quite simple. The Popes since John XXIII and most of the clergy have been trained into thinking from the seminary level, as you are well aware, that the church actually only started at the commencement of Vatican II. Have you ever heard a pope in your lifetime ever once quote an encyclical or a council before Vatican II or not authored by a V2 Pope or theologian? Or course not, because it would show a clear contradiction and defection in Catholic teaching from what was taught before the "Catholic Reform" took place, and with it so many souls have been lost
Not saying anything promulgated is invalid as that would be for those much smarter than I, but one does not need to be a master theologian to see that what for example Leo XIII and Pius X taught would never make it into the front door of any church or the Vatican today as it just does not fit with Freedom of Religion, ecumenism, and all faiths, even those that deny Christ can be saved which we all know is hogwash
Pray for a full restoration of Faith, Morals, Tradition and good clergy to lead us back to salvation, which is the reason Jesus came to earth and established his church here on earth, for the salvation of CATHOLIC souls and those that believe in him
Scripture is clear as to what happens to those that deny him
Posted by: Frank | Friday, October 26, 2007 at 08:17 AM
Since , St. Padre Pio NEVER said a "new mass", only THE TRIDENTINE MASS - enemies of the TRUTH are always against that.
Posted by: George Ox. | Friday, October 26, 2007 at 09:08 AM