Traveling in Southern Italy, we arrived in San Giovanni Rotondo, the town where Father Pio had lived. These days, people call him Saint Pio, for Pope John Paul II proclaimed him a saint in 2002.
Visiting the town, I turned my attention to the contrast between the modest cell where he had lived and the large hospital he had built. The name of the hospital is Casa Sollievo della Sofferenza (House to Alleviate Suffering).
Why was he proclaimed a saint? Because he was a man out of the ordinary. Father Pio’s hands and feet showed the stigmata. Furthermore, he had the charisma of bilocation. Some witnesses claim to have seen him at the same time in two different places.
Apart from these extraordinary facts, Father Pio’s great heart led him to hear people’s confession all day. He listened to everyone and gave everyone comfort.
When we left San Giovanni Rotondo, my thought went to the hospital the humble friar, Father Pio, had built. Everybody can see this miracle with his or her own eyes. As for the other miracles, you need faith to believe in them!
Ettore Grillo, author of these books:
– November 2: The Day of the Dead in Sicily (English edition)
– A Hidden Sicilian History (English edition)
– The Vibrations of Words (English edition)
– Travels of the Mind (English edition)
– Una Storia Siciliana Nascosta (edizione in lingua italiana)
– Viaggi della Mente (edizione in lingua italiana)
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