Padre Pio, a humble Capuchin priest from San Giovanni Rotondo, Italy, was blessed by God in many wonderful and mysterious ways. The most dramatic was the stigmata. Padre Pio bore the wounds of Christ for fifty years.
Among his other gifts were perfume, bilocation, prophecy, conversion, reading of souls, and miraculous cures. People are still being cured through his intercession in ways that cannot be explained by medicine or science.
More important, if less spectacular, are the spiritual healings that take place in all parts of the world! Padre Pio is a powerful intercessor!!
The Beatification Of Padre Pio4 Nov.1969 -The Postulator General of the Capuchin Order, Father Berbardino of Siena, asks the Bishop Mgr. Antonio Cunial, Apostolic Admininstrator of Manfredonia, to start the proceedings for the Cause of Beatification and Canonisation of Padre Pio.
23 Nov. 1969 - Mgr. Antonio Cunial accepts the Postulator's petition.
16 Jan. 1973 - The Archbishop of Manfredonia Mgr. Valentino Vailati delivers the Holy Congregation for the Causes of Saints the required documentation for the "nihil obstat" to the presentation of the Cause of Beatification of Padre Pio.
3 March 1980 - Mgr. Vailati hands over further documentation on Padre Pio.
29 Nov. 1982 - Pope John Paul ll signs the decree to begin the cognizance proceedings on the life and virtues of the Servant of God, Padre Pio.
20 March 1983 - Padre Pio cognizance proceedings start officially in San Giovanni Rotondo.
23 May 1987 - The Holy Father John Paul ll goes on a pilgrimage to San Giovanni Rotondo, and stops in prayer at Padre Pio's tomb.
21 Jan. 1990 - At the Friary in San Giovanni Rotondo, the diocesan stage of Padre Pio's process is solemnly completed. During seven years 73 witnesses have been heard and a big amount of documents was gathered on Padre Pio's life and works: 104 volumes in the whole which were taken to the Congregation for the Causes of Saints in Rome.
3 Dec. 1990 - The Congregation enacts the decree "de validtate" of the process.
15 Dec. 1996 - All the documentation is gathered in the five volumes of "Positio super Virtutibus", which are then handed over to the Cardinal and Bishop Lectors.
13 June 1997 - The special Congress of the Congregation for the Causes for the Causes of Saints, by secret and anonymous vote, unanimously recognized the heroic cardinal, theological and religious virtues of the Servant of God, Padre Pio.
21 Oct. 1997 - The ordinary Congregation of Cardinals and Bishops confirms, in its turn, the favorable vote.
18 Dec. 1997 - In the Vatican is issued the "Decretum Super Virtutibus", and Pope John Paul ll confers Padre Pio the title of "Venerable".
30 Apr. 1998 - The Medical College of the Congregation of Saints Department acknowledges that the recovery of Mrs. Consiglia De Martino from Salerno was extremely rapid, complete, lasting and scientifically inexplicable.
22 June 1998 - The special congress of Theological Councillors gives favourable opinion on Padre Pio's intercession in Mrs. De Martino's miraculous recovery.
20 Oct. 1998 - The ordinary Session of the Cardinal and Bishop Fathers again confirm their favourable vote on the miracle of the woman from Salerno.
21 Dec. 1998 - Is promulgated the "Decretum super miro" performed by God through the intercession of the Venerable Servant of God, Padre Pio of Pietrelcina, that is Mrs. Consiglia De Martino's recovery, which occurred in an extremely rapid, complete and lasting way, from diffuse liquid spreading in the supraclavear mediastic and abdominal site, swing to the break of the thoracic duct.
2 May 1999 - In St. Peter's Square, in the presence of a crowd of 150 thousand pilgrims from all over the world, the Holy Father John Paul ll solemnly proclaims "Blessed", the Venerable Padre Pio of Pietrelcina. His name is inserted in the liturgical calendar at the date of 23 September.
16 June 2002 - Padre Pio of Pietrelcina is proclaimed "saint".