Pope Leo XIV has decided to directly intervene in the “Casa Sollievo della Sofferenza” Foundation, the major hospital work founded by Saint Pio of Pietrelcina in San Giovanni Rotondo, through the creation of an extraordinary commission with broad powers of oversight, management, and control.
The decision was published on May 27 via a papal chirograph issued by the Holy See Press Office, in which the Pontiff justifies the measure by the need to address the economic, legal, and organizational challenges currently affecting the healthcare institution.
A commission with extraordinary powers
The document establishes the immediate creation of a “Commission for Direction and Oversight” tasked with analyzing the foundation’s economic, patrimonial, and operational situation, as well as proposing and implementing measures to ensure the future “efficiency, effectiveness, and sustainability” of the work founded by Padre Pio.
The commission will not have merely advisory functions. Leo XIV grants it exceptionally broad powers, including the ability to replace the foundation’s ordinary governing bodies and to make decisions regarding both ordinary and extraordinary administration.
The chirograph further specifies that the commission may approve statutory amendments, sign contracts, carry out patrimonial transactions, and access all economic and administrative documentation of the institution without requiring additional authorizations.
The Holy See emphasizes that these measures aim to ensure the continuity of the “Casa Sollievo della Sofferenza”’s healthcare and spiritual mission, one of Italy’s most important Catholic hospital centers.
The work founded by Saint Pio of Pietrelcina
The “Casa Sollievo della Sofferenza” was founded by Padre Pio as a major charitable work dedicated to the care of the sick, pilgrims, and families in need. Over the decades, the hospital became one of the most significant healthcare institutions in southern Italy and one of the principal material and spiritual legacies of the Capuchin saint.
Leo XIV recalls that the Church has a particular responsibility for institutions born to care for the sick and highlights the need to adapt these works to contemporary challenges related to economic management, technology, and law.
Who comprises the commission
The Pope appointed Dr. Maximino Caballero Ledo, current Prefect of the Secretariat for the Economy of the Holy See, as president of the new commission, while Dr. Fabio Gasperini will serve as operational coordinator.
Also serving on the body are Monsignor Paolo Rudelli, Monsignor Giordano Piccinotti, and Monsignor Giorgio Ferretti, together with a technical committee composed of legal and economic experts.
The pontifical document states that the commission will remain active until the Pope deems its mission concluded.