Among so many distressing news items that reach us every day and catastrophic predictions about the future overclouding our world, a beam of light has come from a small town in Apulia: on 16 June, Padre Pio from Pietralcina was canonised.
The roar, the exploitation and, in certain cases, the commoditisation surrounding this event may (and in fact do) arouse our indignation, because they are so far away from Padre Pio’s mission and spirituality; however, they are unable to obscure the strength of the message he has been conveying to us throughout his life: a message including only a few points, which however represent a source of security and strength.
The acceptance of suffering as a gift from God, the acceptance of one’s humble circumstances, the acceptance of the rules and of love for other people, which includes sharing and understanding the problems of each individual person, having a firm faith and goodness of heart, far from so many people’s conciliatory attitude, prevailing today.
During a number of TV programmes dedicated to the Capuchin from Pietralcina, some actresses, scantily dressed to say the least, were invited to participate and claimed to be Catholic and devotees of his. Our thoughts went back in time: and we smiled at each other in our editorial office, thinking about the reaction Padre Pio may have had in seeing them in such an outfit. There also have been people who have tried to see in the Capuchin’s life a political meaning.
As far as we can recollect, the only time Padre Pio made a statement with respect to a political issue was when he expressed his disappointment about the victory of the Communist Party in San Giovanni Rotondo; indeed, at that time, the Italian Communist Party had connections with the Soviet Communist Party, which heavily persecuted Catholics, and priests in particular, many of whom were slaughtered or ended in Siberia. But let us not speak about such foolish statements, which are sufficient in themselves to discredit their author, and let us pass on to fiction. No serial has succeeded in conveying Padre Pio’s true personality, his severity towards offenders, his rigidity towards sinners who would not repent, his intolerance about manipulating principles and his impatience with compromises when they involved the creed and faith.
On the other hand, no attempt has been made to recall the depth of his stare, which laid one’s soul bare, or the peace of mind he conveyed to his devotees when he said mass in the morning, thus transporting them into another spiritual dimension. We could write pages and pages about Padre Pio, and recount innumerable episodes, but maybe somebody is already wondering why the leading article of a scientific journal dedicated to medicine talks about Padre Pio rather than about the new regulations enforced by the Ministry for the healthcare system.
Quite simple: Padre Pio’s hardships and suffering – and we are not only referring to the physical side – have somehow materialised into a hospital, created to relieve the suffering of the sick. For health operators, this is the greatest and most rewarding recognition, combined however with a more demanding professional commitment.
The hospital of San Giovanni Rotondo, wanted by Padre Pio, certainly has a Patron Saint in Heaven, but since we know how earthly things usually go, we only hope that this will turn out to be a plus and not have to become an expectation for continued and repeated miracles.