The aggressively bi - sexual Italian Archbishop of Manfredonia (e Viete):

Archbishop Pasquale Gagliardi

Long before the sexually depraved founder of the Legionaries of Christ was even born, Pope Leo XIII -- perhaps unwisely! -- appointed this future arch - enemy of Saint Padre Pio to this post.

On April 19, 1897.

To be exact!

In a book review by Hurd Baruch -- called Will the Real Padre Pio Please Stand Up? -- the reviewer lays it all out for us!

In a nutshell?

Msgr. Pasquale Gagliardi intuitively spotted Padre Pio as a priest to be both loathed and feared.

And so, it seems!

He even claimed to have "personally discovered" a "young woman between 17 and 20" spending the night in Padre Pio's cell as a sort of "private - duty nurse!"

As for the archbishop's own sexual peccadilloes -- as long as they were female Popes Benedict XV and Pius XI seemed willing to tolerate him.

But!

As Baruch points out: when the word leaked that the archbishop was becoming more and more a homosexual predator -- then he was forced to resign.

Most likely by Pope Pius XI.

On October 1, 1929.

At the age of 69.8 -- no less!

Published in the New Oxford Review. Combined January - February 2012 issue.