Saint Padre Pio Foundation marked its 10th anniversary by making ten never-seen pictures of Saint Padre Pio available to the world at an event at the Vatican. The foundation’s founder, Luciano Lamonarca, wants the photographs to spread worldwide.  

“Everybody in the world,” he said, “especially in Central America visiting therealsaintpio.org will have access to this picture. High quality, free of charge.”  

Among the speakers at the event was Ellia Stelluti from San Giovanni Rotondo, the town where Padro Pio lived. Ellia was only a boy when he started taking pictures of Padre Pio, the new mysterious monk who had arrived in his town. Over the years, he took some of the most iconic pictures of Saint Padre Pio.  

“It’s always emotional,” he shared, “because I get to see Padre Pio everywhere, like here in the Vatican. Every time I’m out on the street and look up, I see a picture I took of Padre Pio. It’s a source of great emotion and joy for me.”   

Adapted by Jacob Stein 

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