On October 1, 2009 a formal Collaboration Agreement was signed by the leadership of Padre Pio’s hospital in Italy (Casa Sollievo della Sofferenza) and Catholic Healthcare International:

    • Maintain absolute loyalty to the Magisterium of the Catholic Church.
    • Duplicate Padre Pio’s Home For The Relief of Suffering (CSS) in the United States and other areas around the world.
    • Emulate the structure, name, operation, organization, etc. as closely as possible to that of Padre Pio’s Casa.
    • Establish a Catholic Medical School, fully faithful to the Magisterium of the Catholic Church & in the charism of Padre Pio, to form physicians and healthcare providers to practice as faithful Catholics in the secular world.
    • Operate the new network of Casa’s as “Clinics for the Body & the Soul” for our “guests” (From the words of Padre Pio).
Collaboration signing ceremony at St. Pio's Casa Hospital in Italy
Collaboration Signing Celebration
Msgr. Vernon Gardin, Cardinal Raymond Burke, Dott. Domenico Crupi and Jere Palazzolo

Parties to the Agreement:

  • Casa Sollievo della Sofferenza (CSS) – Established by Padre Pio, his “Work”, Vatican owned, & based in San Giovanni Rotondo, Italy.
  • Catholic Healthcare International (CHI) – U.S. nonprofit, incorporated in 2004, with the vision to implement these collaborative initiatives with CSS.
  • Signed By: Cardinal Raymond Burke (Prefect, The Supreme Tribunal of the Apostolic Signatura), Dott. Domenico Crupi (President & Director General, CSS), Msgr. Vernon Gardin (Director, CHI) & Jere Palazzolo (President & Director, CHI)

“The Casa Sollievo della Sofferenza should therefore be the first link in a great chain. It should be the model for many other, innumerable Casa’s with the same name and above all the same spirit, which must bring love to all of humanity. A program which would make us tremble with awe, if it was not inspired by God who is above all love!”