Saturday, January 12, 2008

Padre Pio exhumation sparks protests

The Holy See said the exhumation was simply to "check on the state of the body" on the 40th anniversary of the saint's death.

It underlined that it was not digging up the body in order to verify Padre Pio's controversial claim to have stigmata.

"We authorised it because it is a normal procedure," said Cardinal Jose Saraiva Martins, prefect of the Congregation for the Causes of Saints.

"We have to value the state of the body and its conservation. We often do it.

"We did it for the blessed John XXIII, whose remains were then moved from the Vatican cellars to St Peter's Basilica. There have been cases when the body has been maintained incorrectly," he added. The exhumation, which is scheduled for April, was immediately criticized by Padre Pio's surviving family and by his legion of fans.

"We have presented our opinion to the archbishop," said Pia Forgione, his granddaughter, and her eight children.

"We are Catholics, close to the church. We are not against the bishop but we want to respect his corpse and the place where he is buried."

Giuseppe Saldutto, the vice president of the Pro Padre Pio Association said: "We are against the exhumation. It might have been a logical choice when the process of beatification and canonization was underway, but now that he is a saint it is inopportune and out of place."

A theory that the exhumation would be linked to a controversial transfer of the saint's body to a new, bigger, sanctuary, was dismissed by Cardinal Martins.

"This is entirely a separate problem, that the Holy See is not involved in. The local bishop will decide on the move," he said.

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