[aMorePerfectUnion]

Sounds like he was a fakir?

https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/padre-pio-faked-his-stigmata-with-acid-397811.html

[Antoninus]

Yup. Just like all saints, Padre Pio had a very dedicated contingent of individuals--both inside and outside of the Church--who hated him like poison and were hellbent (literally) on proving him a fraud. The carbolic acid slander has existed for decades--it's not some new discovery. You'll note that in the article you linked, most of the "evidence" was taken from internal Church documents--the same documents which had been used by Pio's internal enemies to besmirch him 80 years ago.

Based on what I've read on the subject, the wounds were not surface lesions as would be expected from applying acid. They went all the way through his hands and feet.

[vladimir998]

There is zero chance he used acid on his hands every day for 50 years. ZERO CHANCE.

The doctor that examined him on his death bed was surprised to see that his wounds healed AFTER he died with no trace of scars.