STO. TOMAS CITY, Batangas-Archbishop Gilbert Garcera of Lipa said the international status of the Padre Pio shrine brings greater responsibility to serve the sick, poor and marginalized.
‘This recognition by the Holy See is both a profound blessing and a solemn responsibility,’ Garcera said at a news conference on September 23 before Mass marking the shrine’s elevation and the feast of St. Padre Pio.
Garcera said the designation recognizes how a local devotion has grown into a major pilgrimage site drawing Catholics from across Asia to the 17-hectare sanctuary.
Greater responsibility to serve the suffering
He said the shrine’s mission must remain centered on people facing illness, poverty and other forms of suffering, through its monthly Healing Masses and pastoral care.
Garcera also called on the shrine to become a place of peace and reconciliation amid political divisions, social anxiety and religious tensions.
‘Padre Pio’s timeless message of trust in God and radical charity offers a direct antidote to contemporary despair,’ he said.
The archdiocese said it is continuing a long-term master plan for the shrine, focusing on prayer, pilgrimage and service to the poor and weary.
‘As an international shrine, we are called to welcome pilgrims from every corner of the world,’ said Garcera, who also heads the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines.
Vatican status gives shrine a global mission
The elevation ceremony came nearly four months after the Vatican approved the Lipa archdiocese’s petition to declare the Batangas shrine an international shrine.
The Dicastery for Evangelization issued the decree on May 25, coinciding with Padre Pio’s 139th birthday.
The designation also formalizes the shrine’s spiritual bond with the Sanctuary of Saint Pio of Pietrelcina in San Giovanni Rotondo, Italy, where the Capuchin friar lived and is buried.
Under the Vatican’s Code of Canon Law, international shrines are pilgrimage sites whose designation and statutes require approval from the Holy See.
Local bishops approve diocesan shrines, bishops’ conferences approve national shrines, and the Holy See approves international shrines and their statutes, including their purpose and governance.
The Vatican says shrines should provide opportunities for prayer, worship, spiritual guidance and Christian formation while promoting charity toward people in need.
The Shrine of St. Padre Pio is the Philippines’ second international shrine, after the Shrine of Our Lady of Peace and Good Voyage, or the Antipolo Cathedral, received the designation in March 2023.
Archbishop Rino Fisichella, then pro-prefect of the Dicastery for Evangelization’s section for new evangelization, said in February 2024 that international shrines should welcome people from around the world, especially the poor.
‘Being an international shrine is not just a privilege that is granted, but a mission that must be shared,’ Fisichella said during Mass at the Antipolo shrine.
Indian cardinal to Padre Pio pilgrims: ‘Let this shrine change you’
Meanwhile, the head of India’s Catholic hierarchy has challenged pilgrims to allow the experience of the new international shrine dedicated to Saint Padre Pio to change how they live.
Cardinal Anthony Poola, president of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of India, said the shrine’s international status should inspire pilgrims to embrace reconciliation, hope and compassion.
‘Let us not leave this shrine unchanged,’ Poola said during the Mass on September 23.
Poola, who is also archbishop of Hyderabad, said the shrine should become ‘a home for all people,’ especially the sick, poor, families, young people and elderly.
He described the celebration as ‘a day of grace’ for the Church, devotees and pilgrims who come seeking renewed faith and spiritual consolation.
‘A shrine is a place where heaven touches earth, where wounded hearts find consolation, where tears become prayer,’ Poola said. ‘Let this celebration renew our faith.’
The cardinal said Padre Pio’s life of prayer, suffering, humility and surrender to God shows that holiness can be found even amid human pain.
The Italian Capuchin friar, who died in 1968, was known for his devotion to prayer, the Eucharist and reconciliation, as well as for bearing the stigmata, or wounds resembling those of Christ’s crucifixion.
Poola recalled Padre Pio’s familiar advice, ‘Pray, hope and do not worry,’ saying it remains relevant in a world marked by anxiety, division, sickness, loneliness and fear.
He urged pilgrims to follow Padre Pio’s example by embracing the Eucharist, seeking reconciliation, carrying suffering with hope and serving others with compassion.
More than 40 bishops concelebrated the Mass, which was presided over by Cardinal Pablo Virgilio David of Kalookan, vice president of the Federation of Asian Bishops’ Conferences.
The shrine’s new international character was also reflected in the presence of devotees from across Asia and bishops who lead episcopal conferences in the region.