A special way to meet Padre Pio New book takes you behind the scenes with firsthand accounts rarely revealed. Explore the spiritual mysteries of stigmata! Click HERE for more info.

During a break in the school year, Wojtyla decided to visit this modern-day mystic, Padre Pio of Pietrelcina. He spent almost a week in San Giovanni Rotondo that summer, and was able to attend Padre Pio’s Mass and make his confession to the saint. Apparently, this was not just a casual encounter, and the two spoke together at length during Wojtyla’s stay. Their conversations gave rise to rumors in later years, after the Polish prelate had been elevated to the papacy, that Padre Pio had predicted he would become pope. The story persists, even though when the pope was asked about it on two occasions — in 1984, by the Capuchin minister general Bishop Flavio Carraro, and in 1987, by Monsignor Riccardo Ruotolo, president of Pio’s hospital, The House for the Relief of Suffering — “Papa Wojtyla” denied that Padre Pio had made such a prophecy.

Back in Rome, the news reaching Bishop Wojtyla about the condition of his dear friend Wanda Poltawska continued to be ominous. A major operation to stem the growth in her intestine now loomed a few days hence. With no time to lose, he took pen in hand and hastily wrote a short, urgent letter to Padre Pio in Latin. The letter, written on the official stationery of the diocese of Krakow, was dated November 17, 1962. Brief and to the point, the bishop pleaded:

Venerable Father,
I ask for your prayers for
a certain mother of four
young girls, who lives in
Krakow, Poland (during the
last war she spent five years
in a German concentration
camp), and now her health
and even her life are in
great danger due to cancer.
Pray that God, through the
intercession of the Most
Blessed Virgin, has mercy
on her and her family.
Most obligated in Christ,
Karol Wojtyla.

Since it was essential that the letter arrive as soon as possible, Bishop Wojtyla, acting through intermediaries, enlisted the help of Angelo Battisti in order to have it hand-delivered to Padre Pio. Battisti’s positions at the Vatican secretary of state and as the administrator for Pio’s hospital guaranteed him virtually unlimited access to the saint at almost any hour. He was told that the letter was of utmost importance, and was asked to leave at once and deliver it personally to Pio.

“I had never received such an urgent assignment,” Battisti later remarked. “I quickly went
home to get my car, and departed immediately.”

Battisti drove to the friary at San Giovanni Rotondo and headed straight for Padre Pio’s room. There, he found the priest seated with his head bowed over his chest, engrossed in prayer. The messenger held out the envelope, explaining that it dealt with a pressing matter… CD

READ THE CONCLUSION IN NEXT MONTH’S CATHOLIC DIGEST.

Frank M. Rega, a Secular Franciscan, is the author of Padre Pio and America (TAN Books).

To comment on this story, please e-mail us at letters@catholicdigest.com or visit our Readers' Forum.