This is copied from a PDF file, “Official Statement from the International Centre of Sindonology” in English, Spanish and Italian. It resides at www.shroud.com and may be found from Late Breaking News. (The picture is not part of the file):

clip_image001Referring to the news about the release of the volume “The Mistery of the Shroud” by Rizzoli, written by Giulio Fanti and Saverio Gaeta, supposedly dealing with research carried out on Shroud material, the International Centre of Sindonology has expressed reservations about the approach of the book to the theme. According to the International Centre of Sindonology, the volume has approached the subject through the analysis of some cloth samples which can not be proved to belong to the Shroud fabric as they can not be traced.

As far as this is concerned, the International Centre of Sindonology refers to the official statements about the “experiments and analysis concerning the Holy Shroud” made when analogous research was attempted on material supposedly belonging to the Shroud. Those statements were made on behalf of the Holy See, owner of the Shroud, by Cardinal Giovanni Saldarini in September 1995 and Cardinal Severino Poletto on 4th May 2009, “Papal Custodians of the Holy Shroud”.

Turin, September 1995

More and more reports are being published about experiments carried out on Shroud
material aiming to check the results of the tests conducted with the Carbon 14 method in
the summer of 1988. This purpose may be legitimate, and the Church recognizes to every
scientist the right to carry out appropriate research in their field of science. However,
given the circumstances, it is necessary to point out that:

a) no new sample of material has been taken from the Holy Shroud since 21st April 1988,
and according to the Holy See and the Custodian of the Holy Shroud it is highly unlikely
that a third party may be in possession of any residual material from that sample;

b) if such material exists, the Custodian reminds everybody that the Holy See has not
given its permission to anybody to keep it and use it and he therefore demands to give it
back to the Holy See;

c) it is not possible to know with any degree of certainty whether or not such experiments
were carried out on material coming from the fabric of the Shroud. Therefore, the Holy
See and the Papal Custodian declare that no serious value can be recognized to the
results of those alleged experiments;

d) this is evidently not the case of the research carried out on material taken for the tests
in October 1978 and following the explicit authorization of the Papal Custodian;

e) within the climate of mutual trust established with scientists, the Holy See and the
Cardinal Archbishop of Turin encourage scientists to be patient until a clear and
systematically planned research programme is arranged.

Giovanni Card. Saldarini
Archbishop of Turin

And there is this, too: Official statement of the Papal Custodian of the Holy Shroud, Mons. Cesare Nosiglia in English, Spanish and Italian.