Padre Pio used acid to fake stigmata

An Italian monk who became the country's best-loved saint after being canonised by Pope John Paul II and who claimed to suffer stigmata or the wounds of Christ was a fake who used carbolic acid, according to a controversial new book.

Padre Pio, who died in 1968 and who was canonized in 2002, claimed to have first suffered the stigmata – holes in his hands and feet where nails pierced Christ at the Crucifixion – since he was a young priest aged 24.

He enjoyed a massive following with thousands visiting him and even today nearly 30 years after his death he has a millions of devotees around the world and he is especially popular with Italian celebrities such as Sophia Loren and Andrea Bocelli.

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Padre Pio

Saint Padre Pio with bandaged hands covering his 'holy stigmata'

However a new book called "The Other Christ: Padre Pio and the Italy of the 19th Century" by historian Sergio Luzzatto claims that the wounds were self created using carbolic acid and he claims to have found documentary evidence to prove it in the Vatican's secret archives.

A letter he has discovered from a pharmacist called Maria De Vito, 28, who had made a pilgrimage in 1919 to see Padre Pio at his monastery at San Giovanni Rotondo near Foggia, southern Italy.

In the document Maria wrote: "I was an admirer of Padre Pio and met him for the first time in July 1919. I was there for a month and had the opportunity to see him close hand several times and I always had an excellent opinion of him.

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Padre Pio

Padre Pio has been accused of faking his stigmata using carbolic acid

"The eve of my departure for Foggia, Padre Pio called me to one side and in great secrecy and asking me not to tell his fellow brothers gave me personally an empty bottle he asked me to act as a chauffeur take it back from Foggia to San Giovanni Rotondo with four grams of pure carbolic acid.

"He explained that the acid was for disinfecting syringes for injections and he also asked for other medicines such as Valda tablets."

The document added that a month later a further request arrived from Padre Pio in which he asked for four grams of veratrine (painkiller) which was not available in her pharmacy so she asked her cousin who refused because he feared it was being used for faking his stigmata.

The book highlights that the testimony was presented to the Vatican by the local archbishop Pasquale Gagliardi who was an enemy of Padre Pio and who always suspected that the wounds were self inflicted with acid and then perfumed with cologne.

However the Vatican dismissed the documents after carrying out their own investigations which ruled that the wounds were not caused by "external forces."

The Catholic Anti-Defamation League have hit back at the author of the book, historian Sergio Luzzatto, saying:

"We would like to remind Mr Luzzatto that according to Catholic doctrine, canonisation carries with it papal infallibility."

How sick is this? Houston parents take children and babies to a homosexual bar for "kids day"

In the photo:Matt Schomburg, left, hangs out with his son Maverick Schomburg, 2, and Will Badger, 2, along with Badger's father, Chris. Will Badger tries to knock one back, but the beer bottle is empty.

This is not a joke. This is real.

'Baby Loves Disco' phenomenon makes its premiere in Houston

By ANNE MARIE KILDAY


They arrived in feather boas, glittering hair accessories, sparkling dresses and tutus over diapers.

At the premiere of "Baby Loves Disco" in downtown Houston on Saturday afternoon, infants, toddlers, young children and parents boogied under a mirrored disco ball, floating bubbles and occasional "smoke" from a machine. The "bars" at Rich's Houston [infamous homosexual bar] were lined with boxes of juice and healthy snacks, such as sliced veggies, apples, grapes, cheese, crackers and cheese pizza slices.

Babies and older children danced alone — or in a parent's arms — to the beats of the '70s and '80s. They twirled, whirled and unfurled bright scarves or tried to do the twist in yellow hula hoops.




While the babies bounced to the beat, older children showed off their moves — two young girls did the flamboyant arm move made famous by John Travolta in Saturday Night Fever.

The event is part of a new "dance craze" sweeping the nation — OK, more like 20 cities — according to founder Andy Hurwitz, a New Yorker who started the family-friendly event about five years ago. Hurwitz, who is in the music business, got help from Cheryl Miller, a local mom who organized the event.

"I just started it a little while after my son was born, and it's really taken off," Hurwitz said. A portion of the proceeds from the dance events, which are held in cities such as New York, Philadelphia, Boston and Seattle, go to Alex's Lemonade Stand, a charity benefiting childhood cancer research.

Most busy parents learned about the new activity from e-mails or text messages and turned out in droves to watch or dance with their children.

Bubbles and hula hoops
"We're just out bar-hopping," quipped Sarah Eldridge, who sat near the dance floor with her daughter, Anna, who was finishing a grape juice. Smiling at her friend, Angela Rosteet, and her daughter, Celeste, Eldridge said the 2-year-old girls "just love to dance."

"They love the bubbles, the little egg-shakers and the hula hoops," Rosteet said.

The two moms said they needed to sit down after about an hour on the dance floor.

"I haven't been dancing in I-don't-know-how many years," she said.

"But, we don't bar-hop with our husbands," Eldridge said, laughing.

Many parents agreed that the $12 admission charge for adults was a bargain, compared with other children's activities.

Meanwhile, in the "Chill Out Zone" in one part of the club, some children took a break from the pounding music to draw, color or climb through a cardboard playhouse.

Connor Murray Smith, 5, said he had to take a break from the dancing.

"I thought that he would either love it or hate, but he's been dancing the whole time," said his mom, Sara Smith.

Bob Gerber and his son, Lucas, were enjoying some popcorn in the chill-out area. Lucas, 7, was wearing ear plugs provided by the club.

Back on the dance floor, Charla Mock watched in amazement as her 7-year-old daughter, Sydney, moved to the music with her shoulders shaking.

"I don't know where this is coming from. We don't even have television," Mock said. "It's innate, I'm convinced. I'm seeing a whole new side of her — she's blossomed since she started the first grade."

Mock was in the club with her husband, Robert Mock, and their 5-year-old son, Sawyer. "This takes me back to my club days," Charla Mock said. "The lights, the bubbles, the music — we're really having fun."