Poor Italian peasant boy Francesco is certain he will become a priest. After entering the Capuchin Order, Padre Pio (his new name) finds he has powers: He heals the sick and “reads” strangers’ souls. He opens a hospital for the poor, saying, “Christ is in every ill person, but in poor ill, he is twice as much,” and telling doctors, “Remember, if you don’t bring LOVE to your work, all your efforts are nothing.” In 1918, stigmata appear on his hands and feet, and a cult grows around him. Considering him a charlatan, the Catholic Church prohibits him from carrying out his role as a priest. But ordinary people believe in him and the miracles. Before his death in 1968, Padre Pio reconciles with the Vatican, which in 2002 recognizes him as a saint. (2000)
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