Antonio Bini in the Holy Face of Manoppello writes The Veronica is not in St. Peter’s:
After almost five centuries the Vatican admits its disappearance in 1527. A circumstance which makes credible the hypothesis that it is identical to the Holy Face
On May 31, 1999 at a crowded press conference held in Rome at the foreign press association Fr. Heinrich Pfeiffer revealed the results of his study affirming that the Veronica and the Holy Face of Manoppello should be seen as one and the same. This news was reported by Italian and foreign television networks among their top stories for the day. Usually the coverage was linked to the classic stereotype of the mountainous Abruzzo region, so that Manoppello was described as a "forgotten village at the foot of the Maiella range".
Some of the journalists asked the Vatican for an opinion in this matter. The response was "total silence", said the correspondent for the Spanish television network Antenna 3’s news program of May 31, 1999, as he broadcast with the facade of the Basilica of St. Peter’s behind him.
The Catholic press and church leaders showed indifference and kept their distance, effectively isolating Father Pfeiffer, director of the Course on Cultural Patrimony for the Gregorian University, who is considered to be among the world’s most authoritative scholars of Christian art. Some Italian scholars of the Shroud of Turin (sindonologists) didn’t hesitate to show their annoyance at the news, and in some cases gave their opinion that at best the Holy Face could only be a copy of the Veronica.
Pictured, left to right, Padre Germano di Pietro, OFM Cap., Antonio Bini and Father Heinrich Pfeiffer, S.J. on May 31, 1999 the day of the press conference.
It is an old story that merits new reporting and expanded study. So go read it.
This is only my personal perception but I never thought the face on the Manoppello vail is really the same as the face we see on the Shroud. Just a quick comparison between the beards and it’s pretty evident to me that this is 2 different faces. The beard on the Shroud look much more hairy. I think it’s just a “psychological suggestion” kind of thing that make some people say that the face on the Manoppello vail come from the same man than the one who was buried in the Shroud. That’s my personal reflection on the possibility that the vail and the Shroud can be related.
Now, for the Veronica vail, I think it’s true that the authentic cloth is not in Rome no more because there’s some good clues to show that the one in Rome is a copy (and not even an exact copy) of the original. I also think it is possible that the Manoppello vail can be the authentic Veronica vail that was stolen from Rome. But, as I said earlier, I don’t think this relic is directly related to the Shroud of Turin. And since I believe the Shroud is authentic, I have to think this Manoppello vail (maybe the authentic Veronica vail) have to be a false relic (most probaly an artwork).