SAN GIOVANNI ROTONDO, Italy, Jan. 7 (UPI) -- Relatives of St. Pio of Pietrelcina oppose plans to exhume the body of the venerated saint who allegedly suffered the wounds of Jesus.
The archbishop of Manfredonia-Vieste-San Giovanni Rotondo, Italy, Umberto D'Ambrosio, announced plans to exhume the body so pilgrims and church faithful may revere the remains of the saint, whose given name was Francesco Forgione.
St. Pio's niece, Pia Forgione, along with her eight children took legal action to stop the exhumation and expect to file a formal court appeal, the Italian news agency ANSA said Monday.
''(The archbishop) will not succeed in his attempt to re-crucify Padre Pio by putting his remains on display,'' a lawyer for the Forgione family said.
D'Ambrosio said he has the necessary permission from "higher authorities" with the Vatican's Congregation for the Causes of Saints to proceed with the exhumation.
Francesco Forgione was born in 1887 and bore signs of transverberation and visible stigmata. He died in 1968. He was canonized in 2002 and is the patron saint of those suffering from seasonal depression.
