ENRICO MARTINO

Saint Pio, commonly known as Padre Pio was a Capuchin friar and mystic famous for bearing the stigmata for most of his life. This condition generated much interest and controversy around him. After his death Padre Pio has become one of the world's most popular saints, a icon of the popular religion in an postmodern Italy and there are more than 3,000 "Padre Pio Prayer Groups" worldwide, with three million members. A 2006 survey by the magazine Famiglia Cristiana found that more Italian Catholics pray to Padre Pio for intercession than to any other figure. The Padre Pio Pilgrimage Church in San Giovanni Rotondo can accommodate 6,500 people seated, with standing room for 30,000 people outside. The Italian architect Renzo Piano designed the church. It is located in front of Casa Sollievo della Sofferenza, a big Italian hospital and research center, founded by Saint Pio of Pietrelcina. This mixture of historic, religious and architectonic elements render the Sanctuaries of Padre Pio the main center of the popular religiosity in postmodern Italy and an indubitable point of interest for all, including those who are not particularly devout, or who may not profess any faith at all.