The Stigmata of St. Padre Pio

According to my dear friend Dorothy Gaudiose who worked for St. Padre Pio, "The first person to be sent to make a medical report on Padre Pio's stigmata [the five bleeding wounds of Christ Crucified which he bore for fifty years] was Dr. Luigi Romanelli. After fifteen visits, the doctor felt obliged to state that he had been unable to discover a scientific explanation that would authorize him to classify such wounds.

"Among other doctors sent from the Vatican who examined Padre Pio's wounds were: Dr. Amico Bignami, an atheist, and Dr. Giorgio Festa, a good Christian.

"Dr. Bignami was left puzzled by the wounds, but Dr. Festa concluded that the five bleeding wounds on the body of Padre Pio corresponded to: 'The five parts of Our Lord's body that He offered up in His supreme sacrifice to faith. They can only constitute a mystery for those unable to see a connection between natural truth and the truths of faith and religion.'

"But the honor of bearing these bleeding wounds brought much sorrow to Padre Pio. Above the door of his room were written these words: 'The Glory of the World has Sorrow for its companion.'

"The wounds, or the stigmata, as described by Dr. Luigi Romanelli, the first medical doctor to examine him, is as follows: 'The wounds in his hands were almost circular in shape with clean-cut borders, having a diameter of little more than two centimeters or three-quarters of an inch. These lesions were covered by red-brown scabs, and there was no bleeding point, no edema, and no inflammatory reaction in the surrounding tissue. The wounds in his feet present identical characteristics as those in his hands, but are wider at the tip.'

"The red-brown scabs were produced by the progressive drying of blood that flowed from them continuously for fifty years, and these scabs, from time to time, fell off and revealed the wounds in all their details. Their contours were so clean that even under a magnifying glass they produced no edema or reddening. When soft, the scabs detached themselves first from the edges, then from the center, until they fell off completely and gave way to the formation of new scabs."

Next week, I will continue about St. Padre Pio's stigmata by sharing with you details about the wound in his side, which was also part of the Stigmata.

Until then, "Pray, hope, and don’t' worry," as St. Padre Pio always said. Jesus is with you and for you, so what do you need to fear? Nothing.