Padre Pio confesses the devil

Padre Pio was a famous XNUMXth century Italian saint who dedicated his life to serving God and helping people in need. But there is one aspect of Padre Pio's life that is less known: his struggle with the devil.

Padre Pio faced the diavolo many times throughout his life, but one of the most famous stories told was the time he was in the confessional and was forced to face Satan. 

It was the February 3 1926 when the guardian of the convent of San Giovanni Rotondo goes to notice something strange, something unusual. This is the story of Father Thomas of Monte Sant'Angelo.

Father Tommaso had been the master of novices at Morcone of the young Padre Pio and became guardian between 1925 and 1928. During that period one evening he received a confidence from the friar of Pietralcina. That day Padre Pio was in the ancient sacristy of the little church of Santa Maria delle Grazie and a man who wanted to be confessed showed up.

The story of Father Tommaso

He confessed it in the sacristy, at the prie-dieu near the little door that led to the church. At the end of the confession he was imparting the holy absolution when the unrepentant immediately began to tremble, to writhe to be moved by uncontrolled spasms. The man said that he felt his soul leave his body.

Suddenly the man gets up and flees towards the church and then towards the exit. At that moment Padre Pio, frightened and trembling, runs after him. He enters the church and finds no one, so he goes out onto the square and finds himself alone 3 women. So the friar asks the women if they had seen a man running out, but the women said they had been there for half an hour and hadn't seen anyone come out.

Padre Pio mortified, meets the guardian and tells him the episode that happened. In the evening sitting in his room, writes in the diary wondering who that man could be. His guess was that it was a demon in the form of a man. But he wondered for what purpose he had reached him and the only reason that came to mind was that the devil had wanted to intimidate him.