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In Rome, the church considered a case quite the opposite of the Heroldsbach visions. Since 1918, a quiet Capuchin friar, Padre Pio, has exhibited the stigmata, i.e., bleeding from the side, hands and feet in the same spots where Christ was wounded on the Cross (TIME, Dec. 19, 1949). Doctors have examined him and found the open wounds beyond medical explanation. Throngs of pilgrims come every year to make their confessions to Padre Pio and to receive his blessing. A devout and humble man, living quietly in a monastery in southern Italy, he has helped thousands on their spiritual journey. Yet the church continually cautions that he is not to be regarded as a saint. Last week the Congregation of the Holy Office put eight books written about Padre Pio on the church's Index of Forbidden Books. Reason: they attributed unverified miraculous powers to a man still living.