Around 1960, Gabriele Amorth met Padre Pio of Pietrelcina and spoke with him about the Third Secret of Fatima.

Amorth spoke about this meeting in a 2011 interview. During this meeting Padre Pio said:

Satan has been introduced into the bosom of the Church (the physical structures), and within a very short time he will come to rule a false church.

Amorth said that Padre Pio was “really tormented” by one issue, namely the great apostasy.

Padre Pio prayed the Rosary almost constantly and urged others to pray it as well. He also recommended the prayer: “O Jesus, save the Pope in the hour of darkness”.

And contrary to what some have claimed, Padre Pio never celebrated the “new mass”.

Padre Pio died on September 23, 1968. The “new mass” did not come into force until April 3, 1969.

When Padre Pio heard about the growing number of liberal priests, nuns, and laity, as well as the growing opposition to Catholic teaching and the lack of vocations, he was reported to have said more than once:

Thank God that I am old and near death!