On Saturday, Archbishop Cesare Nosiglia of the Archdiocese of Turin announced he would honor the many requests he had received and display the Shroud of Turin online via television and social media during Holy Week so the faithful may venerate from across the world.
“Thousands and thousands are the messages I have received from the people, elderly and adults and young people, healthy and sick, who ask me that, in the moment of great difficulty we are living, if they can pray during Holy Week in front of the Shroud, to implore Christ, who died and was Risen.”
Nosiglia said the Shroud “presents to us in such a true and concrete way, the grace of overcoming evil as He did, trusting in the goodness and mercy of God” and authorized its display from Holy Saturday on April 11th to April 17th.
“Thanks to television and social media the time of contemplation makes available to everyone, in the whole world, the image of the Holy Cloth, which reminds us of the Passion and death of the Lord, but which also opens our hearts to the faith in his Resurrection.”
Nosiglia added that love is stronger than death, saying Christ’s face in the Shroud “is stronger than any suffering, any disease, any contagion, any trial and discouragement.”
“Nothing and no one can separate us from this love, because it is faithful forever and unites us to him with an indissoluble bond. [Christ’s face on the Shroud] speaks to the heart and communicates a great peace to us as if it were telling us: Have faith, do not lose hope, the strength of the love of God and the Risen One overcome everything.”
Wikipedia entry on the Shroud of Turin:
“The Shroud of Turin or Turin Shroud (Italian: Sindone di Torino) is a length of linen cloth bearing the image of a man who appears to have suffered physical trauma in a manner consistent with crucifixion. There is no consensus yet on how the image was created. It is believed by some to be the burial shroud of Jesus of Nazareth, despite [contested] radiocarbon dating tests from 1988 dating it to the Medieval period. The image is much clearer in black-and-white negative than in its natural sepia color.
The negative image was first observed in 1898 on the reverse photographic plate of amateur photographer Secondo Pia, who was allowed to photograph it while it was being exhibited in theTurin Cathedral. The shroud is kept in the royal chapel of the Cathedral of Saint John the Baptist in Turin, northernItaly.
The origins of the shroud and its image are the subject of intense debate among theologians, historians and researchers. Scientific and popular publications have presented diverse arguments for both authenticity and possible methods of forgery. A variety of scientific theories regarding the shroud have since been proposed, based on disciplines ranging from chemistry to biology and medical forensics to optical image analysis.
The Catholic Church has neither formally endorsed nor rejected the shroud, but in 1958 Pope Pius XII approved of the image in association with the devotion to the Holy Face of Jesus. More recently, Pope Francis and his predecessor Pope Benedict XVI have both described the Shroud of Turin as “an icon” and Pope Saint John Paul II called the Shroud “a mirror of the Gospel”.”
May devotion to the Holy Face spread like a wildfire within the hearts of the faithful. May those of us who wear a blessed medal of the most Holy Face around our necks, be granted abundant blessings and sublime contemplation this Holy Week and always. Veronica, show us how to do corporal and spiritual works of mercy in our solitude. May the 14 Stations of the Cross bring graces to all who walk the way with Jesus. When awaiting His resurrection, gift us with profound patience to love His tomb, His wounds, His humility, His Holy Face. Bless the people of Turin, Italy. Amen.
Amen
Amen!