Pope Leo XIV reviewed yesterday, Monday, August 31, the progress of the plan to address the delicate economic situation of the Casa Sollievo della Sofferenza, the hospital founded by Saint Pio of Pietrelcina in San Giovanni Rotondo, in the Italian region of Apulia. The Pontiff received at Castel Gandolfo the commission he himself created last May to oversee the Foundation and seek solutions to guarantee its sustainability.
According to the ANSA news agency, during the meeting the Pope was able to verify “the state of progress of the Commission’s work,” with special attention to the analysis of the economic and financial situation and the solutions proposed to ensure the long-term viability of the work and prepare the relaunch of the hospital, according to information released by Vatican media.
Reducing debt and stabilizing the employment situation
The commission presented to Leo XIV four priorities on which it is currently focusing its work: stabilizing relations with staff, strengthening collaboration with Italian public institutions, obtaining the necessary economic resources, and progressively reducing the main financial obligations.
The Foundation is facing a significant financial exposure, with debts that would amount to several tens of millions of euros.
The actions are part of the mandate granted by Leo XIV through the chirograph of May 27, with which he created the Commission for Guidance and Supervision to restore the conditions of economic sustainability and implement a relaunch plan without interrupting hospital activity or altering the charism of the institution founded by Padre Pio.
The commission thus has broad powers to examine the economic, patrimonial, operational, and administrative situation of the Foundation and to apply the necessary measures. Its creation placed a large part of the recovery process under the responsibility of the economic bodies of the Holy See.
Leo XIV will personally follow the process
The Pope “took careful note of the work carried out so far by the Commission” and confirmed “his willingness to closely follow the path undertaken”, according to the information released after the meeting.
The body will continue to develop and progressively implement the measures identified with the aim of “ensuring continuity and a future for the Hospital and the Work desired by Saint Pio of Pietrelcina, at the service of the sick and their families.”
The meeting was attended by Maximino Caballero Ledo, prefect of the Secretariat for the Economy and president of the commission; Fabio Gasperini, secretary of the Administration of the Patrimony of the Apostolic See (APSA) and coordinator of the body; Paolo Rudelli, substitute of the Secretariat of State; Giordano Piccinotti, president of APSA; and Giorgio Ferretti, archbishop of Foggia-Bovino. Also present was Fabrizio Colaci, secretary of the commission.
The technical committee assisting the body also includes Benjamín Estévez de Cominges, second-in-command of the Secretariat for the Economy; Gino Gumirato, general director of Casa Sollievo della Sofferenza; and lawyer Alessandro Ela Oyana.
The hospital work founded by Padre Pio
Saint Pio of Pietrelcina inaugurated the Casa Sollievo della Sofferenza on May 5, 1956, conceived as an institution capable of combining medical care with assistance to the sick inspired by the Christian faith. The hospital has since become one of the main works linked to the Capuchin saint and a reference healthcare center in southern Italy.
Last May, coinciding with the 70th anniversary of its inauguration, Cardinal Pietro Parolin recalled that Padre Pio wanted the hospital to be a place where scientific and healthcare attention would be accompanied by the recognition of the dignity of each patient.
The commission will now continue with the implementation of the plan while Leo XIV maintains direct supervision of the process, with the aim of cleaning up the accounts and guaranteeing the continuity of the hospital and the work entrusted to the Holy See by Saint Pio of Pietrelcina.