Pio (Francesco Forgione) was born to Mamma Peppa and Grazio Forgione in the little town called Pietrelcina, in Southern Italy, during the month of flowers, May 25th 1887.  He was fifth of eight children. His Mamma Peppa  confided  he was different from other boys: “he was never impolite or misbehaved”. He had celestial visions and diabolical oppressions from the age of five years and he saw and spoke with Jesus and Our Lady and with his Guardian Angel, but unfortunately this heavenly life was interwoven with hell and with the devil.

In 1903, Discipline and ill health had been woven together to crown the youth of Pio. Doctors diagnosed him as consumptive and were sure he would die. Strong in spirit Pio received the Capuchin Franciscan garb initialling religious life and therefore; Noviciate with its intense study, prayer, austerity, penance and finally vows of Poverty, Chastity and Obedience.

In 1909, we find him at Pietrelcina because of his illness, at his mother’s side. Now another intense chapter of extraordinary life opens with mystical afflictions an invisible stigmata and terrible battles with devils that wanted to destroy him began. Yet, “It all happened here”, he said, his whole future was prepared here.  On   August 10, 1910,  he was ordained  a Priest in the Cathedral of Benevento.

In 1916, we find him in the church of San Giovanni Rotondo, soon to become his Jerusalem, with the padrepio2.jpg (5839 byte)mystical and historical calvary of Gargano, where he was soon recognised as the “saintly friar” by the locals. Here he became a “victim of love”, by the reparation for sin, propitiator and regenerator of the many crowds who flocked to him, to venerate his bleeding wounds of his hands and feet. This very important event occurred in Father Pio’s life on September 20, 1918,  while he was praying in front of a Crucifix located in the choir in the little old church, when a strange personage like an angel, gave him the stigmata. Those stigmata have been remained opened and bleeding for fifty years. This was one of the reasons for which doctors, scientists, journalists and common people have gone to San Giovanni Rotondo for years, in order to meet the “Saintly friar “.



In a letter dated October 22, 1918, Padre Pio told his experience of crucifixion: “... What I can tell you about my crucifixion? My God! What a confusion and what humiliation I feel when I try to show somebody else what you have done in me your scanty creature! It was the morning of the 20th. (September) and I was in choir, after the celebration of the Holy Mass, when a rest, similar to a sweet sleep surprised me. All the inside and external senses, as well as the same faculties of the soul were in an indescribable quiet. There was a depth silence around me and inside me; a peace overcame me and then it all happened in a flash I felt abandonment with the complete deprivation of everything. While all this was taking place, I saw before me a mysterious appearance, similar to the one I had seen on August 5th, differing only because His hands, feet and side were dripping blood. The sight of Him frightened me: what I felt at that moment is indescribable. I thought I would die, and would have died if the Lord hadn’t intervened and strengthened my heart, which was about to burst out of my chest!  The appearance disappeared and I became aware that my hands, feet and side were pierced and were dripping with blood”. You can imagine the torment that I experienced then and that I am almost experiencing every day. The wound of the heart assiduously bleeds, particularly from the evening of Thursday until Saturday. My God, I die of pain, torment and confusion that I feel in the intimate of the soul. I am afraid I’ll bleed to death!  I hope that God listens to my moans and withdrawals this operation from me... “
 
He usually woke up in the early morning (we could say at night) in order to get himself ready for the Holy Mass. In fact, every morning, at 4 a.m. there were always hundreds and sometimes even a thousand people waiting for the door of the church to open. After the Mass he used to spend most time of his day in prayer and confessions.  After fifty years of stigmata he died September 23, 1968, thus he closed his mission of the Heart’s desire, with the real cross and the real crucifixion of his body.

Then, for years, from every part of the world, the believers went to this stigmatised priest, to get his powerful intercession from God. Fifty years lived in the prayer, in the humility, in the suffering and in the sacrifice, whether to effect his love, Padre Pio had two initiatives in two directions: the vertical one toward God, with the constitution of the “Groups of prayer”, the horizontal one toward his suffering community, with the construction of a modern hospital: “House Relief of the Suffering.”

In September 1968, thousands of devotees and Padre Pio’s spiritual children were assembled in conference at St. Giovanni Rotondo to commemorate together the 50 anniversary of the stigmata and to celebrate the fourth international conference of the Prayer Groups. Nobody would have imagined that at 2:30  a.m., September 23, 1968 we the earthly life of Father Pio of Pietrelcina would end.

http://www.padrepio.catholicwebservices.com/ENGLISH/Biogr.htm

Quote from: Nadir

On 2 occasions he told persons who wanted to confess, that they did not need to admit their sins, (he already knew them) and absolved them without their confessing.

This would not be a valid Confession.  Whether or not Padre Pio knew them, the penitent is required to "confess" the sins.  I doubt that this story is true.  For every true thing about Padre Pio out there on the web, there are probably a thousand falsehoods.

Sorry, Nadir; I just saw that you beat me to it in pointing this out.

It is very difficult to define the word "miracle". Miracles could be considered expressions of the supernatural. Also, we can say that a miracle is a phenomenon in which the heart obeys an interior force: the will of God!

Padre Pio's life was full of miracles, but the nature of the miracles was always divine. For this reason, Padre Pio invited people to thank God, the only source of miracles.

http://www.padrepio.catholicwebservices.com/ENGLISH/Miracles.htm

Being able to read souls was undoubtedly a charism of Padre Pio. That gift did not negate the necessity of the penitent to declare his sins to the priest. There are of course exceptions where a person is close to death and mentally or verbally impaired. In the case of his father at least he had to confirm verbally that he had committed those sins related to him by his son.

But there was no possibility that Padre Pio would have absolved someone before they confessed their sin/s. If fact he always insisted on having all the sins declared and refused absolution for other admitted sins. This is Catholic teaching and Padre Pio was an orthodox priest. Was there no consultant who could explain this to Carlo Carlei?

Though I do not doubt that he was able to prophesy Karol Wojtyla’s papacy, his ability to read souls would have told him that he would not make a good pope, and to say so seems a deception. Can somebody give me a reference to show that I am wrong on that score?  

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Also on 2 occasions he offered Holy Mass facing the people and even distracted during the consecration by a priest looking at his watch.

Not only that, but they even had him waving his hands to the congregation, during the Mass, to show that he was healed. My understanding is that he was healed in death.

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Try to remember that just because something is shown in a movie doesn't mean it literally happened exactly that way in real life.  There is a degree of poetic license in film making and this one is no different.

 

Of course! But poetic license is one thing. Falsehood is something else.

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There is another scene that is very funny to me.  When the boy Francesco is having dinner with his family and he announces his desire to become a Friar, his mother is supportive but his father resists, saying it would cost too much money.  Then his mother suggests that his father could sell the cow.  Every time I watch his reaction, I burst out with uncontrollable laughter: "La vaca -- NO!!!"  If that was not in Italian, it just would not be so funny.  There is something about the real language and the real Italian actors and the whole situation that makes it work.  It's unstoppably hilarious.  There is another funny scene in the orchard, when Padre Pio is leading a group through to pray for the bugs and vermin on the trees to die, one man makes a snide comment, and Padre Pio KICKS him in the rear.  That is SO MUCH just like something he would really do!

It could be that you are a modern day American that you find this funny. My husband is Italian and that scene brought tears to his eyes.

Though the second scene is funny and very realistic and typical for Padre Pio.

BTW, in order to become a friar, you do not need to have money, or even an education, so that part is not realistic. Also receiving the habit is not to become a priest, as the movie infers. There is no distinction made between the two roles. Of course most people (even Catholics) have no idea the difference, and that ignorance is propounded here.

What was uncharacteristic of him was his (the actor’s I mean) touching of women. He kept his hands off women. Though he did kick some who came after him for bits of his garments and handkerchiefs.

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… let the overall artistry of the cinematography make up for what is lacking in doctrinal clarity.  As I said before, it's hard to imagine this movie being much more true to the life of this holy man, all told, that is, given the limits of moviemaking in today's world.  This movie is an enormous accomplishment, and I have no doubt that the devil did EVERYTHING he could to keep it from seeing the light of day.  It was all shot in the beautiful Pietrelcina region, and the film does great justice to the natural beauty of the place.

The bolded sentence is hardly a Catholic attitude. Yes the film gets top marks for many qualities, but it is no so true to Padre Pio's nature and faith, or for doctrinal clarity.

I appreciate your criticism, Nadir.

This movie has been impressive to me from an artistic standpoint, because I don't know of any other film that does justice to this great stigmatist.  The objections mentioned on this thread are valid, and I have to admit that I had not been thinking so critically when I watched the film.  I was willing to allow inaccuracies for myself because I would not be likely to base my understanding of Church doctrine from what I see in ANY movie.  Perhaps other viewers cannot be so confident.

Now that you bring it up, I can see that it's a problem because I have known people who admit to garnering their comprehension of for instance Bible lessons, from what they have seen in movies like The Ten Commmandments.  This is always a danger, and especially for newcomers to the Faith or converts -- they should learn to get their doctrine not from entertainment venues but from reliable sources like good solid books.  

But how many questionable books are there now in print?  Most books after Vat.II have been compromised seriously, and some even before the nefarious council.

This is not a simple topic.  Being able to enjoy a movie that is well done artistically is not the same thing as being completely sure that there is no doctrinal error in what you see in that movie.

For myself, I am willing to say that traditional Catholics might find this film very enjoyable even if some of its doctrine is not perfect.  

Maybe it would be helpful for others if we could make a list of scenes that have erroneous teaching built in, so we can warn other viewers about those places.  But to say the whole thing is trash because it shows Padre Pio telling someone their sins are forgiven without him having heard their confession is akin to throwing the baby out with the bathwater, IMHO.  The film has a lot to offer IN SPITE of its shortcomings.

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Once in the monastery of Padre Pio, a friar forgot to consecrate the Hosts for Holy Communion. There were only a few Hosts available. But after confessions when Padre Pio started to distribute Hosts to the people, many Hosts remained at the end of the service, more than had been consecrated before.

http://www.padrepio.catholicwebservices.com/ENGLISH/Miracles.htm

Mrs. Cleonice, who was a spiritual daughter of Padre Pio, said: “During the Second World War my nephew was a prisoner. We had not received news for a year, and everybody believed he was dead. His parents were very worried about his life. His mother went one day to Padre Pio and knelt down in front of the friar who was in the confessional: “Please, tell me if my son is alive. I won’t go away if you don’t tell me!”  Padre Pio sympathized with her, and  FOTO15.jpg (4797 byte)some tears were on his face when he said: “Stand up and go in peace.”  Some days later, I couldn’t resist the thought of pain that the parents were enduring, so I decided to ask Padre Pio for a miracle. I faithfully said: “Father I’m going to write a    letter to my nephew Giovannino. I will write his name only on the envelope because we do not know where he is. You and your Guardian Angel will take the letter to him where he is.” - Padre Pio didn’t answer, so I wrote the letter.   In the evening I put it on my bedside table before getting into bed. The morning after, to my great surprise, astonishment and fear, I found that the letter was not there anymore. I went in thanksgiving to Padre Pio and he told me: “Give your thanks to Our Lady.” Almost fifteen days later our nephew sent us a response to the letter. Then everybody in our family was happy and giving thanks both to God and Padre Pio.”
 

http://www.padrepio.catholicwebservices.com/ENGLISH/Miracles.htm

I come by an article in my Internet files claiming that Padre Pio had in
his possession the Holy Grail, the cup used by Jesus Christ at the last
supper.  I wonder if anyone was aware of this.


http://www.sanpadrepio.com/HolyGrail.htm

A woman said:  “My first daughter, who was born in 1953, was rescued by Father Pio when she was eighteen months old. On the morning of January 6, 1955 my husband and I were in church attending the Holy Mass and our daughter was at home with her grandfather. There was an accident: she fell into a tub of boiling hot water. She was burned on her stomach and back. The doctor came in an hour and he said, “take your daughter to a hospital immediately because she could die from her wounds”. For this reason he did not give us any medicine. After the doctor left I started to pray for Father Pio’s help. It was nearly noon. As I was getting myself ready to go to the Hospital, my daughter who was alone in the bedroom called me:  “Mommy, I don’t have a wound anymore!” “Who has taken your wound?” I asked her out of curiosity. She answered: “Father Pio has come. He took my wounds by putting his whole hand on my burn”. Actually there was no sign of burns on my daughter’s body even though the doctor had told me my daughter was going to die.

http://www.padrepio.catholicwebservices.com/ENGLISH/Miracles.htm