I am a Catholic priest and years ago I accompanied a sick man to San Giovanni Rotondo, who hoped to be cured by Padre Pio. I was happy to have this opportunity to see Padre Pio. The sick man whom I accompanied was not cured and I smelled no perfumes. Moreover, when I went to confession, Padre Pio did not life any mysterious veil from my soul. For me, he was only a good confessor, like many others. Yet I did see something. For many days, I heard Padre Pio say Mass and for me that was everything. I heard Mass from the side of the altar and I did not miss a single gesture or expression. I had already said thousands of Masses, but in those moments I felt that I was a poor priest, the same way I felt during confession. Padre Pio really spoke to God in every moment of the Mass. I could even say that he struggled with God, like Abraham. And God was present. Thus at San Giovanni Rotondo I found a priest who loved God truly and intensely, in suffering and prayer, even to agony; a real saint.
