My fifteenth visit to San Giovanni Rotondo in December 1953, had a particular reason. I had just returned from a trip abroad. During a pilgrimage, a Priest had spoken to me about the so-called Caux movement, which was fairly well known and discussed at the time. He requested that I ask Padre Pio what to think of this movement. The Priest himself had been at Caux and what he told me showed that many, including some Priests were exposed to the danger of a deception. He therefore wanted to ask Padre Pio for prayers and advice.

I had the opportunity to go to confession to Padre Pio and I explained to him about this movement, which did not want to be known as a sect but had certain principles that caused some people to describe it as the antechamber of Catholicism

Padre Pio listened to what I had to say with attention and interest. He promised to pray above all for the Priests so they would recognize the deception, for that is what it actually was. Then, pronouncing each word with that characteristic manner of his, which stamps them indelibly on our minds he said:

Remember: every sect in the world feeds off the Catholic church. Our Holy Catholic church is like a great and extremely precious unpolished diamond, from which every so often somebody takes a particle and polishes itnot without the help of the evil one--so that it begins to shine better than the great unpolished diamond. And this shine draws men, dazzles them and deceives them, so that the particle necessarily is worn out and comes to nothing.

This is the game of deception, which appears and reappears with time. Jesus warned us to watch out for it!