Vatican's Former Chief Exorcist Gives Intimate Look at Padre Pio's Life in New Book
Father Amorth reveals unseen side of one of the Catholic Church's most revered saintsNEWS PROVIDED BY
Carmel CommunicationsFeb. 22, 2022
SAN FRANCISCO, Feb. 22, 2022 /
Christian Newswire/ -- Padre Pio is the only priest to have ever had the stigmata — the wounds of Jesus Christ in his hands, feet and side — and was ostracized in many ways because of it. A new book, PADRE PIO: STORIES AND MEMORIES OF MY MENTOR AND FRIEND, reveals how Padre Pio felt about the punishments from higher authorities in the Church and other key aspects of his holy life, including how he prayed ceaselessly, and how he constantly fought evil as he sought to obtain souls for Christ.
While there are many books about Padre Pio, this one offers a rare, up-close glimpse of the life and personality of St. Pio of Pietrelcina from the perspective of the late Father Gabriele Amorth — well-known as an exorcist — who enjoyed over two decades of a close friendship with the holy, quirky Padre Pio, whom he considered his spiritual father.
Amorth (1925–2016), a priest of the Congregation of San Paolo, was the chief exorcist at the Vatican and internationally recognized as the world's foremost exorcist. Two of his major books are An Exorcist Tells His Story and An Exorcist: More Stories. He reveals a behind-the-scenes perspective of how the crushing attention shown to Padre Pio affected him, the reasons why he sometimes refused absolution during the sacrament of confession, and the little-known humorous side of the deeply holy man who wanted nothing more than to redeem souls.
Fr. Amorth shows the human side of the saint in PADRE PIO, such as how he ate all his mother's fried bell peppers to cure a childhood illness and his fondness for jokes and humor.
"Fr. Gabriele Amorth impresses me as a down-to-earth, blue-collar priest who spent the entire tenure of his priesthood in the church's trenches," said Fr. Gary Thomas, exorcist, Diocese of San Jose, California. "His biography of Padre Pio draws the reader into the person of this remarkable saint. It's a story that keeps unfolding page by page, and one is unable to close the book until the last page is read."
For more information, to request a media review copy or to schedule an interview with Anthony Ryan, marketing and sales director for Ignatius Press, please contact Kevin Wandra (404-788-1276 or
KWandra@CarmelCommunications.com) of Carmel Communications.
SOURCE Carmel Communications
CONTACT: Kevin Wandra, 404-788-1276,
KWandra@CarmelCommunications.com
