We Should Have Seen it Coming
Just a guess, but I think we’re going to start seeing more stories like this one about Padre Pio and the question of the authenticity of his stigmata.
After all, it’s not as if we don’t know what’s coming:
1 And I saw a beast coming up out of the sea, having seven heads and ten horns, and upon his horns ten diadems, and upon his heads names of blasphemy. 2 And the beast, which I saw, was like to a leopard, and his feet were as the feet of a bear, and his mouth as the mouth of a lion. And the dragon gave him his own strength, and great power. 3 And I saw one of his heads as it were slain to death: and his death’s wound was healed. And all the earth was in admiration after the beast. 4 And they adored the dragon, which gave power to the beast: and they adored the beast, saying: Who is like to the beast? and who shall be able to fight with him? 5 And there was given to him a mouth speaking great things, and blasphemies: and power was given to him to do two and forty months.
6 And he opened his mouth unto blasphemies against God, to blaspheme his name, and his tabernacle, and them that dwell in heaven. 7 And it was given unto him to make war with the saints, and to overcome them…
Filed under: Catholicism
I agree. Before this story came out, I saw a completely baseless show on the Discovery Channel, which tried to write off all stigmatics as either fakers or sufferers from some sort of psychosomatic disorder/having blacked out when they gave themselves the stigmata. Real crazy suff, but that’s what we can expect from the Discovery Channel.
Here is a quote from the book Padre Pio and America which explains what
the carbolic acid was actually used for in his friary at that time:
“The boys in the Seraphic College could not understand why their
instructor seemed to be hiding his hands under his garments during the
classes that he was teaching. The Father Guardian, Padre Paolino, noticed
that Pio appeared to be covering up red spots on his hands with the
sleeves of his habit. However, he was not too concerned since he and Padre
Pio had recently received burns on their hands from carbolic acid. The
boys had needed injections to fight the Spanish Flu which was raging at
that time. Due to a shortage of doctors, Padres Paolino and Pio
administered the shots, using carbolic acid as a sterilizing agent.”
Peace,
Frank Rega, author of Padre Pio and America p. 55, TAN Books 2005.