BBC NEWS | In Pictures | In pictures: Padre Pio on display

BBC NEWS / IN PICTURES
Graphics Version BBC Sport Home

14:46 GMT, Thursday, 24 April 2008 15:46 UK

In pictures: Padre Pio on display

1 of 6
The body of the Catholic saint, Padre Pio, has gone on display in Italy, dressed in robes and his face covered in a silicone mask.

Pilgrims queue to see body of Padre Pio

2 of 6
Thousands of visitors queued to see the body following an open-air mass in San Giovanni Rotondo, in Puglia.

A pilgrim holds a booklet with Padre Pio on the cover in San Giovanni Rotondo in southern Italy

A pilgrim holds a booklet with Padre Pio on the cover in San Giovanni Rotondo in southern Italy

3 of 6
The Capuchin monk had a considerable following for what appeared to be bleeding wounds on his hands and feet, similar to those associated with the crucifixion of Jesus.

A statue of Padre Pio in San Giovanni Rotondo in southern Italy

A statue of Padre Pio in San Giovanni Rotondo in southern Italy

4 of 6
Sceptics accused him of faking the marks, known as stigmata, and Church officials say the exhumed body bears no trace of them.

Nuns wait for a mass in San Giovanni Rotondo in southern Italy

Nuns wait for a mass in San Giovanni Rotondo in southern Italy

5 of 6
More than a million Catholic pilgrims are expected to make the trip to see his body, which was unearthed in March.

A shop with religious gifts in San Giovanni Rotondo in southern Italy

A shop with religious gifts in San Giovanni Rotondo in southern Italy

6 of 6
The cleric, who died in 1968, was made a saint by Pope John Paul II in 2002.

E-mail this to a friend