Pope Francis will make a pastoral visit in the footsteps of Saint Pio of Pietrelicina, affectionately known as Padre Pio, on 17 March next year. 2018 marks the 100th anniversary of Padre Pio of Pietrelcina receiving the stigmata, as well as the 50th anniversary of his death.
A statement from the Director of the Holy See Press Office, Greg Burke, says the Holy Father is to visit the Italian towns of Pietrelcina and San Giovanni Rotondo on 17 March 2018.
A statement from the Director of the Holy See Press Office, Greg Burke, says the Holy Father is to visit the Italian towns of Pietrelcina, where Saint Pio was born on 25 May 1887, and the Capuchin monastery in San Giovanni Rotondo where he died on 23 September 1968.
During the Jubilee Year of Mercy, Pope Francis had requested that Padre Pio’s reliquary be present in St. Peter’s Basilica for Ash Wednesday. Saint Pio’s remains were exposed for veneration from 8 to 14 February 2016.
Pope Francis follows in the footsteps of Pope St. John Paul II, who visited San Giovanni Rotondo on 23 May 1987, and Pope emeritus Benedict XVI, who travelled there on 21 June 2009.
ENDS
