Saint Pio Foundation to release photos of Padre Pio

By Christopher Wells

The Dicastery for Communication and the Dicastery for Culture and Education are sponsoring a press conference on Monday, 29 April, when the Saint Pio Foundation will release 10 authentic photos of Padre Pio. 

The event, entitled “Photographs of Saint Pio – Memories of a Saint,” will mark the 25th anniversary of the beatification of Pio of Pietrelcina, known around the world as Padre Pio.

It also commemorates the 10th anniversary of the Saint Pio Foundation, a non-profit, charitable organization that promotes knowledge of and devotion to Saint Pio of Pietrelcina, one of the most venerated contemporary saints of the Catholic Church.

Fostering devotion to St. Pio

A press release from the Foundation notes that the photographs of Saint Pio, including previously unpublished photos, were personally selected by founder Luciano Lamonarca in collaboration with Padre Pio’s personal photographer, Elia Stelluto.

The high-resolution pictures will be made available free of charge, via a dedicated website, to Catholic institutions, faithful, groups, and individuals in order “to foster devotion to Saint Pio.” They will not, however, be able to be used for the creation of commercial projects.

“In an important year like this, where we celebrate the twenty-fifth anniversary of the beatification of Saint Pio, and the tenth anniversary of the establishment of the Saint Pio Foundation,” said Mr. Lamonarca, “we wished to mark these important milestones by making a gift to the millions of devotees and faithful of Saint Pio in the form of these authentic images of their beloved saint, whom they wish to bring in their homes, churches, and shops and entrust themselves and their lives to Him.”

Mr. Lamonarca added, “Through promoting his charism, we humbly recognize Saint Pio for His blessings and protection all these years.”

A gift to Catholics

For his part, Mr. Stelluto explained, “In all these years, I have always made the photos of Saint Pio in my possession available to those who have asked me, in order to be able to increase the devotion of Saint Pio.”

He said the photographs chosen for the project with the Saint Pio Foundation are “a gift that I give so that the Catholic community can benefit from this act of love, certain of doing something that is especially pleasing to Saint Pio.”

The press conference will be held at the Filmoteca Vaticana, on April 29, 2024, at 12:00 noon Rome time. The pictures will be released and made available to the public starting April 29, 2024, on the dedicated website: www.therealsaintpio.org.

Padre Pio was the monk who had the stigmata – the wounds of Christ – on his body.