R
Richard_Tasca
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I have remained in close contact with the Capuchin Fathers’ organization in Italy since the exhumation of the relic remains of Saint Padre Pio. My posts regarding this matter are here: forums.catholic-questions.org/showthread.php?t=235488
Neither the Capuchin Fathers of the Province of the Holy Angel and Saint Pio in Italy nor the Vatican Congregation for the Causes of Saints which ordered the exhumation have suggested that the remains of the Saint are considered to be incorrupt. The official account of the exhumation from the Catholic News Agency in Rome reads as follows:
ROME, Mar 3, 2008 "In the most discrete manner possible, the body of St. Padre Pio was exhumed at 12:30 a.m. Monday morning by a group of medical experts, while Church representatives observed.
Padre Pio was buried September 27, 1968 at the San Giovanni Rotondo shrine, just four days after he died.
“The body is well preserved” said Bishop Domenico D’Ambrosio of San Giovanni Rotondo-Manfredonia-Vieste, who observed the removal of the saint’s remains.
“From the very beginning (of the exhumation) you could clearly see his beard. The upper part of his skull is visible, but his chin is perfect and the rest of the body is well preserved. You can clearly see his knees, his hands, his mittens and his fingernails,” Bishop D’Ambrosio recalled.
The Italian bishop commented on the state of Padre Pio’s body by saying, "If Fr. Pio allows me to say, it is as if he was manicured.”
The Bishop also said that besides the upper skull, which shows some signs of the process of mummification, the rest of his remains are in surprisingly good condition, including his joints -which are all attached, and his feet.
D’Ambrosio confirmed that neither his feet nor hands showed any trace of the stigmata, since ‘as we know, they disappeared at the moment of his death.’"
Another news account of the exhumation reads as follows:
Body of controversial saint Padre Pio exhumed for public display 40 years after his death By NICK PISA - 4th March 2008
"The body of a controversial mystical monk who became a saint was today exhumed from his grave 40 years after his death and his corpse was said to be “intact”.
Padre Pio claimed to suffer from stigmata or the wounds of Christ - holes in his hands and feet where the nails were used at the Crucifixion - and was made a saint by Pope John Paul II in 2002.
He enjoyed a massive following with thousands visiting him and even today, years after his death he has millions of devotees around the world and he is especially popular with Italian celebrities such as Sophia Loren and Andrea Bocelli.
The body of Padre Pio, who claimed to bleed from his hands like the crucified Christ, will go on public display so the faithful can venerate the man made a saint in 2002
Early this morning his grave at the monastery at San Giovanni Rotondo near Foggia in southern Italy where he was buried was entered and his coffin lifted from the ground and opened.
The exhumation was authorised by the Vatican in January and was granted so that Padre Pio’s body could be “prepared” when it is put on public display next month to commemorate the anniversary of his death 40 years ago.
Local Archbishop monsignor Domenico D’Ambrosio, who was present at the exhumation, said: "The upper part of the skull was skeletal while the forehead was in perfect condition.
"The rest of the body is also well preserved. You can clearly see the beard, knees, hands, the nails - if Padre Pio will forgive me it’s as if he has just had a manicure.
“The signs of the stigmata are not visible. The robes are also still intact and his feet are visible because as is customary capuchin monks are buried shoeless.”
Despite the early hour and the biting cold a small crowd who had gathered outside the church cheered and clapped when news that the coffin had been exhumed filtered through.
Besides local church dignitaries medical experts from the Vatican’s Congregation for the Causes of Saints were also present to verify the state of the corpse.
The saint’s body is planned to be displayed for several months, after which it will be returned to the tomb in Santa Maria delle Grazie church in San Giovanni Rotondo, which neighbours the friary where Saint Pio lived.
When news of the exhumation was announced in January monsignor D’Ambrosio had said:“I am convinced that we all have the duty to allow future generations the chance to venerate the mortal remains of Saint Pio of Pietrelcina and to conserve them as well as possible.”
Initially there was opposition from Padre Pio’s family but they later gave the go ahead although there was a last minute appeal from the Padre Pio association to block the exhumation.
The saint was shunned by church authorities and recognised only after massive popular devotion to him.
He is especially popular in Australia and Ireland.
Padre Pio’s shrine draws close to one million pilgrims each year, and the hospital he founded in San Giovanni Rotondo is one of the biggest in southern Italy."
It is correct that a silicon mask to cover the remains of the face of Saint Pio was fabricated by Gems Studio of London. The official explanation was that this was done out of sensitivity to the sensibillities of the pilgrims who would be coming to venerate the remains.
Further information about the incorruptibles is available at this link:
overcomeproblems.com/incorruptables.htm
I hope this clarifies some of the issues. Again, at present there is no official acknowledgement that the remains are considered by the Church to be regarded as incorrupt.
Thank you.
Richard Tasca
Neither the Capuchin Fathers of the Province of the Holy Angel and Saint Pio in Italy nor the Vatican Congregation for the Causes of Saints which ordered the exhumation have suggested that the remains of the Saint are considered to be incorrupt. The official account of the exhumation from the Catholic News Agency in Rome reads as follows:
ROME, Mar 3, 2008 "In the most discrete manner possible, the body of St. Padre Pio was exhumed at 12:30 a.m. Monday morning by a group of medical experts, while Church representatives observed.
Padre Pio was buried September 27, 1968 at the San Giovanni Rotondo shrine, just four days after he died.
“The body is well preserved” said Bishop Domenico D’Ambrosio of San Giovanni Rotondo-Manfredonia-Vieste, who observed the removal of the saint’s remains.
“From the very beginning (of the exhumation) you could clearly see his beard. The upper part of his skull is visible, but his chin is perfect and the rest of the body is well preserved. You can clearly see his knees, his hands, his mittens and his fingernails,” Bishop D’Ambrosio recalled.
The Italian bishop commented on the state of Padre Pio’s body by saying, "If Fr. Pio allows me to say, it is as if he was manicured.”
The Bishop also said that besides the upper skull, which shows some signs of the process of mummification, the rest of his remains are in surprisingly good condition, including his joints -which are all attached, and his feet.
D’Ambrosio confirmed that neither his feet nor hands showed any trace of the stigmata, since ‘as we know, they disappeared at the moment of his death.’"
Another news account of the exhumation reads as follows:
Body of controversial saint Padre Pio exhumed for public display 40 years after his death By NICK PISA - 4th March 2008
"The body of a controversial mystical monk who became a saint was today exhumed from his grave 40 years after his death and his corpse was said to be “intact”.
Padre Pio claimed to suffer from stigmata or the wounds of Christ - holes in his hands and feet where the nails were used at the Crucifixion - and was made a saint by Pope John Paul II in 2002.
He enjoyed a massive following with thousands visiting him and even today, years after his death he has millions of devotees around the world and he is especially popular with Italian celebrities such as Sophia Loren and Andrea Bocelli.
The body of Padre Pio, who claimed to bleed from his hands like the crucified Christ, will go on public display so the faithful can venerate the man made a saint in 2002
Early this morning his grave at the monastery at San Giovanni Rotondo near Foggia in southern Italy where he was buried was entered and his coffin lifted from the ground and opened.
The exhumation was authorised by the Vatican in January and was granted so that Padre Pio’s body could be “prepared” when it is put on public display next month to commemorate the anniversary of his death 40 years ago.
Local Archbishop monsignor Domenico D’Ambrosio, who was present at the exhumation, said: "The upper part of the skull was skeletal while the forehead was in perfect condition.
"The rest of the body is also well preserved. You can clearly see the beard, knees, hands, the nails - if Padre Pio will forgive me it’s as if he has just had a manicure.
“The signs of the stigmata are not visible. The robes are also still intact and his feet are visible because as is customary capuchin monks are buried shoeless.”
Despite the early hour and the biting cold a small crowd who had gathered outside the church cheered and clapped when news that the coffin had been exhumed filtered through.
Besides local church dignitaries medical experts from the Vatican’s Congregation for the Causes of Saints were also present to verify the state of the corpse.
The saint’s body is planned to be displayed for several months, after which it will be returned to the tomb in Santa Maria delle Grazie church in San Giovanni Rotondo, which neighbours the friary where Saint Pio lived.
When news of the exhumation was announced in January monsignor D’Ambrosio had said:“I am convinced that we all have the duty to allow future generations the chance to venerate the mortal remains of Saint Pio of Pietrelcina and to conserve them as well as possible.”
Initially there was opposition from Padre Pio’s family but they later gave the go ahead although there was a last minute appeal from the Padre Pio association to block the exhumation.
The saint was shunned by church authorities and recognised only after massive popular devotion to him.
He is especially popular in Australia and Ireland.
Padre Pio’s shrine draws close to one million pilgrims each year, and the hospital he founded in San Giovanni Rotondo is one of the biggest in southern Italy."
It is correct that a silicon mask to cover the remains of the face of Saint Pio was fabricated by Gems Studio of London. The official explanation was that this was done out of sensitivity to the sensibillities of the pilgrims who would be coming to venerate the remains.
Further information about the incorruptibles is available at this link:
overcomeproblems.com/incorruptables.htm
I hope this clarifies some of the issues. Again, at present there is no official acknowledgement that the remains are considered by the Church to be regarded as incorrupt.
Thank you.
Richard Tasca
) Frankly, I wasn’t sure if the photos really were of the two visionaries, or if someone was just passing them off as such.