Our order did not reject Padre Pio. However, there is a policy in our order that no priest may ever singularize himself. Our priests are required to blend in with the lay brothers. They are also required to avoid as much contact with the laity as possible.
Padre Pio’s stigmata attracted a great deal of attention. At the time, the order did not know what the cause of the wounds were. Some alleged it was a miracle and others alleged that it was psychological. The case had to be studied.
However, there was a major problem. Padre Pio became very popular among the laity. This made him stand-out from his brothers. He was unable to blend iin. Soon the friary became a circus with people coming from all over to visit Padre Pio. The Superior General ordered him not to appear in public, even for mass. He always celebrated mass in the enclosure chapel. That is, a chapel inside the cloister where the laity is not allowed to enter.
When it was finally decided that the wounds were genuine, then he was given permission to celebrate mass and hear confessions for the laity, provided that he not spend too much time with them. Each person came and went in about 10 minutes. He saw hundreds of people each week and sometimes more. But he was to avoid relationships with the laity. This actually made him very happy. He did not want relationships with the laity. He entered the order to be a Capuchin Franciscan Friar, not a priest.
Saying one mass a day and hearing confessions made him very happy. He loved celebrating mass and hearing confessions. He did not enjoy doing any of the other jobs that priests do. The superior’s restraint actually protected him, because he was never assigned to a parish or any place where he had to spend long periods with lay people.
The only lay people whom he really enjoyed were children. He had a special place in his heart for sick children. He asked for permission to raise money for a hospital. Our superior granted the permission and the hospital was built.
There are too many non Franciscan historians writing about Padre Pio and they don’t understand Franciscan discipline. To them, hiding a friar looks like a punishment. To us, the fact that a superior tells us that it is dangerous for us and the laity to be in contact is a cause of joy. We don’t like that much exposure. We prefer to spend most of our day in prayer or with our own brothers.
But this is not a suspension. Because in this case the person can celebrate the sacraments, but not for the laity or where the laity can see. Padre Pio celebrated mass in the enclosure chapel and the novices enjoyed going to his masses, because he has a wonderful sense of humor and he was an excellent preacher. His holiness came through in his homilies. But they were not meant for the laity until the superior general decided that it was safe.
When people don’t understand the job of a superior, they get confused and call things punishments or by other negative names, when for us, they are part of our life and we don’t think twice about them.
That’s the difference between a religious and a secular person. There are very few things that upset religious men. LOL
Fraternally,
Br. JR, OSF
fficial