Originally published at Churchpop
Did Padre Pio see the souls in Purgatory?
His closest friends and collaborators have provided various testimonies about the visions the saint experienced from his 20s until the last moments of life.
In his autobiographical book, “I…Witness of the Father,” Brother Modestino da Pietrelcina, spiritual son of Padre Pio, recalled his life with the saint.
In particular, he reported what happened when he visited his sick father:“(…) I found him in bed. He had a fever. He had recently returned from San Giovanni Rotondo. (…) He told me that after confession, he had asked Father Pius, ‘Father, when will we see each other again?’
“And Padre Pio had replied: ‘We will see each other again in the afterlife. Say hello to our country.’
“I was upset. (…) returning to the convent, I wondered what he wanted to say. That night, I struggled to fall asleep. The next day, at dawn, my cousin Cosimo came to call me. (…) He told me that my father, at midnight, had tried to get out of bed, eager to get some air, but a stroke had killed him. I cried in silence and thought back to Padre Pio and the meaning of his words.”Did Padre Pio see the souls in