Padre Pio didn’t know everything

Since Padre Pio was given miraculous gifts that surpass even the greatest saints of Church history, some have fallen into the false idea that he somehow knew everything.  But Padre Pio, being a mere human and an instrument of God’s will, only knew what the Lord revealed to him and what the Lord wanted him to know.  Like everyone else, he remained ignorant of many other things.

For instance, his spiritual director, Fr. Agostino, asked Padre Pio whether a physician who died in a war was saved or lost.  Padre Pio said: “I know nothing.”  Fr. Benedetto asked Padre Pio about Fr. Luca who could not be found after a battle.  Padre Pio replied: “Concerning Fr. Luca of happy memory, I know nothing... But my mind tells me that he must not be sought among the living.  May it please God to disprove my presentiment.”  Padre Pio was proven to be wrong:  Fr. Luca turned up alive.[1]

Sometimes Padre Pio’s judgments and assessments were incorrect.  For instance, there is the case of Padre Pio’s nephew.  Padre Pio’s nephew, Ettore Masone, had been kicked out of college because the administration discovered that he had epilepsy, and the college didn’t want the responsibility of taking care of him.  When Padre Pio learned that his nephew was no longer in school, he presumed that he had dropped out.  “Get away from me, you bum!” shouted Padre Pio to his nephew.  “You have a lot of gall just to come into my presence!” he said.  “Why are you talking to me this way, Uncle?” his nephew replied.  “Because you dropped out of college.  Go away!”  “Uncle, read this letter.”  When Padre Pio read the real reason for Ettore’s being asked to leave, he put his head on his desk and began to cry.[2]