The professional opera singer also grew up in Italy aware of the enormous figure that Padre Pio represents for the Catholic Church, but he did not have a special devotion for the saint until he and his wife faced the great suffering of conceiving a stillborn baby and receive the news that they probably wouldn’t be able to have any more children.
It was then that the couple turned to the intercession of Padre Pio and, in the process, Lamonarca began to learn more about his life. During the interview, he highlighted that he learned about the “simplicity and humility” of the saint. “He was the grandfather I never had,” the Italian told journalist Colm Flynn.