If a sociologist from Mars were to come down to earth to study popular religion in Italy, the conclusion might easily be that the Christian “Holy Trinity” in il bel paese is not actually composed of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, but rather of God, the Virgin Mary, and Padre Pio. Looking Read more
The body of stigmatist St Pio of Pietrelcina (Padre Pio) will reportedly be exposed in St Peter’s Basilica for a week in February next year. A “Jubilee for Padre Pio’s prayer group” will take place on February 13, 2016, as the body of the Capuchin saint will be exposed in St Peter’s from February 8-14, Read more
The Vatican is refusing to confirm that Mother Teresa of Kolkata will be canonised as a saint in September next year. Vatican spokesman Fr Federico Lombardi responded to reports in Italian media that she would be canonised before the end of the Holy Year of Mercy. “It is a working hypothesis, therefore no official confirmation can be Read more
A new book claims St Padre Pio used carbolic acid to cause his stigmata. The book “Padre Pio: Miracle and Politics in a Secular Age,” by Italian historian, Professor Sergio Luzzatto, has discovered documents including a letter from a pharmacist who arranged carbolic acid for Pio. A report in the Telegraph says Luzzatto suggests that the Read more