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).
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!”
