One of the very first
newspaper articles about Padre Pio was written by Renato Trevisani
for the “Mattino” of Naples, and appeared in the editions of June
20 and 21, 1919. Trevisani had been assigned as the paper's special
correspondent to investigate and report on the stigmatized mystic of
San Giovanni Rotondo. Initially skeptical, thinking Padre Pio might
be a “Rasputin,” he was won over by the friar's demeanor, and was
an eyewitness to a miraculous cure.
The recipient of the
cure, Pasquale Di Chiara (1881 – 1946), was a functionary of the
Ministry of Justice, as chancellor of the prefecture of San Giovanni
Rotondo. He was 36 years old at the time, residing at Lucera, about
25 miles from San Giovanni. He had been chancellor at Messina,
Sicily, during the great earthquake of 1908 which killed tens of
thousands of citizens. For his brave and selfless actions in aiding
the wounded and homeless, he merited the official praise of the
King's Procurator of the Tribunal of Messina.
In 1918 he received the
injury which was subsequently healed by Padre Pio. Pasquale was in
Lucera to attend a formal celebration to mark the end of the war
between Italy and the Austro-Hungarian Empire, which was concluded by
the Armistice of November 3. Civil, military, and religious
authorities were present. While descending the stairs of the hotel
where the ceremony was held, he took a very serious fall. For three
months he was immobilized, and when he finally was permitted leave
his bed, he could only limp along by dragging his leg, painstakingly
supported by a cane. When he finally decided to visit Padre Pio at
San Giovanni Rotondo, it was not, however, to seek his own cure, as
one might think. Instead he sought healing for his three-year old
daughter Italia, stricken with infantile paralysis.
The journalist Renato
Trevisani obtained the following account from Di Chiara himself of
the miraculous occurrence, and included it in his article for the
“Mattino.” He writes that he was an eye-witness to the prodigy,
along with other distinguished personages present at the time who can
authenticate it, including the King's Procurator of the Tribunal of
Lucera, Dr. Mione; Prefecture Advisor of Sanseverino, Dr. Russo; Dr.
Giura; and Vice Magistrate N. Siena.
 |
| From caccioppoli.com |
The headline for the
story ran across top of the entire page: “Padre Pio, the 'Saint' of
San Giovanni Rotondo.” Underneath it ran the sub-heading “works a
miracle on the person of the chancellor of the town.” The story
was in three sections: the Phenomona, Padre Pio, and the Miracles.
The images show only a small part of the complete piece.
Pasquale Di Chiara's testimony, as reported in the newspaper, is
presented here for the first time in English.
“On November 11, 1918,
on the occasion of the conclusion of the Armistice, a small
celebration was held at the Hotel Sicilia. Coming down from the
hotel, I fell head over heels. After spending three months in bed,
under the care of Doctors Merla and Giuva, I was constrained to walk
with a cane, dragging my leg, and unable to sustain long walks. At
Foggia, I underwent an x-ray examination under Doctor Bucci, which
revealed a dislocation.
“I went to the Friary
for the first time, together with my wife, to ask Padre Pio for a
grace for my little girl of three, Italia, suffering from infantile
paralysis. Padre Pio told us to throw away the orthopedic apparatus
used on the leg of the child; but my wife, a little wary, did not
want to follow the advice. The next day the apparatus broke. My
wife told Padre Pio that the child still was not cured, and the friar
responded: “It was your fault! Hope, but in God.”
“I arrived [another
time] at the friary, accompanied by my superiors, who were guests of
the city of San Giovanni Rotondo. Seeing me, Padre Pio made a
gesture of gentle reproof with his hand, which, however, I did not
understand. I remained in the corridor, and in about an hour Padre
Pio returned. He stopped before me and said, with his eyes turned
upward, a phrase in which I could only make out the word “cane.”
My friends, Michele Campanile and Benedetto Ventrella, explained to
me that Padre Pio had said, “Throw away the cane!”
“He said it a second
time, and I let go of the cane, but I remained leaning against a
wall. “Man of little faith, go ahead and walk,” commanded the
Padre. I then experienced a feeling of great warmth in my foot,
which in a short time spread throughout my whole body. I now walk
normally, without any need of help.”
Further details were made
known many years later in author Enrico Malatesta's interview with
Pasquale Di Chiara's son Umberto, the brother of Italia, who was
affected by polio. Following the unexplained breakage of her
orthopedic equipment, and the rebuke by Padre Pio to her mother,
Italia soon began to walk without requiring any assistance, although
with a slight limp. As
for Pasquale, he would recall Padre Pio's words: “Man of little
faith, go ahead and walk” for the rest of his life. They were
spoken with irritation, but in a tone of voice that was at the same
time both gentle and gruff. At his command, Pasquale took one step,
then two, three and four, and began to cry from joy and emotion. He
started to walk faster, and found himself at the feet of Padre Pio,
who blessed him with a bright smile.
Sources: Padre Pio
Storia d'Una Vittima, 1967, by Francobaldo Chiocci and Luciano
Cirri; and I Miracoli che Hanno Fatto Santo Padre Pio, 1998,
Enrico Malatesta.
View my books on Padre Pio and others Here.
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