I saw Padre Pio in person when I was growing up. It was in 1951 and I was 10 years old at the time. My mother and I attended his Mass. I was very impressed by him. His tiny church could barely hold a handful of peasants. The Mass was very, very early in the morning and outside it was freezing. The church however was very warm inside. It was a great experience. My mother made her confession to Padre Pio. At one point during the confession, he started laughing and he said to my mother, “If these things you are confessing were sins, then we would all be in paradise.” She received absolution from Padre Pio.

– Vittorio Manunta