"Children are a gift of the Lord." (Psalm 126:3)
The family always has a very special place in the heart of Padre Pio. He would say "matrimony is for children."
Padre Pio's hope for marriages would be "beautifully crowned with children," in order to "populate the earth and paradise."
He strongly refused to accept anyone who refused the begetting of children. He refused them absolution. One time he said to a person: "May the Lord’s vengeance not fall upon you." And he said to someone else: "When you married, God made the decision of how many children He ought to give you."
Some of the sins that upset Padre Pio the most were sins against motherhood; the limitation of families; sins against life; cursing; blasphemy; lying; calumny; and the scandal of dressing immodestly. Padre Pio did not want to deviate from traditional Catholic doctrine at all.
Image courtesy of caccioppoli.com
