What is the meaning of stigmata?
PZ: The Gospel shows that, in the mystery of Jesus resurrection, the wounds did not disappear. Stigmata are a sign of what Christ suffered during the passion; therefore, they are theological data that need far more study than has been done to date. In John s Gospel, when Jesus enters the Cenacle through closed doors and greets the disciples, he shows them the stigmata in order to identify himself. He told St. Thomas: Put your finger in my side. The apostles consternation is also a revealing fact of this mystery. This phenomenon shows the efficacy of Christ s salvation on the cross, and it remains in a special way in the sign of the stigmata, becoming a distinctive fact of the redeeming and saving efficacy of the faith. Z: There have been 250 cases of saints and blessed who have had the stigmata. What is the historical meaning of this sign? PZ: It is a particular [phenomenon] of Western spirituality and mysticism. Since St. Francis, we have had a significant number of saints and blessed
