As Catholics prepare to mark the feast of St. Padre Pio on Sept. 23, footage of his final Mass in San Giovanni Rotondo, Italy, draws attention to the mysterious disappearance of the wounds he had carried for 50 years.
Despite his failing health, the Italian Capuchin friar celebrated his last liturgy on Sept. 22, 1968, and died the following morning. Witnesses later recounted how the stigmata had disappeared without leaving scars.
AS A YOUNG FRIAR, HE RECEIVES CHRIST’S WOUNDS
Born Francesco Forgione on May 25, 1887, in Pietrelcina, Italy, he joined the Capuchin Order at 15 and became a priest in 1910. On Sept. 20, 1918, while praying at the friary in San Giovanni Rotondo, he described receiving wounds on his hands, feet and side resembling those of Christ’s crucifixion.
The friar usually concealed his hands with fingerless gloves, removing them only during Mass. Pilgrims travelled from across the world to attend his Eucharistic celebrations, seek spiritual guidance and witness the sacred marks on his hands.
Yet the stigmata also attracted medical scrutiny and accusations of fraud. Physician Amico Bignami suggested that chemicals might have prevented the injuries from healing, while psychiatrist Agostino Gemelli questioned their authenticity. Dr Giorgio Festa, however, disputed claims that the priest had inflicted the wounds on himself. Amid the controversy, Padre Pio continued his ministry, hearing confessions and celebrating the Eucharist even as his health deteriorated. St. John Paul II later observed that the humble friar had astonished the world through his life of prayer and service to others.
FINAL MASS REVEALS A MYSTERY
On the morning of his last day, Padre Pio celebrated Mass before a large gathering of pilgrims. The footage captured the saint’s uncovered hands at the altar, while witnesses described how the stigmata he had carried for half a century were gradually disappearing. His fellow friars observed that the bleeding had steadily diminished in the months leading up to his death. He was visibly weak during the liturgy and nearly collapsed while leaving the altar.
Later that evening, the ailing priest repeatedly summoned Brother Pellegrino to his room, asking him to stay by his side.
As his earthly life drew to a close, Padre Pio made his confession, renewed his religious vows and asked his fellow friars to pray for his soul. As his breathing worsened, members of his religious community gathered around him, and Father Paolo administered the last rites. Holding his rosary, he repeatedly whispered the names of Jesus and Mary before dying at approximately 2:30 a.m. on Sept. 23, at age 81. His physician, Dr Giuseppe Sala, and fellow Capuchins recounted finding smooth skin without visible scarring where the stigmata had once appeared. In 2002, St. John Paul II canonised Padre Pio.
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