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(ANSA) – Turin, February 27 – The mysterious Shroud of Turin will be exhibited for an unprecedented 67 days next year, the office that keeps what Catholics revere as Christ’s winding sheet said Thursday.
From April 19 to June 24, 2015 the shroud that is believed by many faithful to bear the image of a dead Jesus will be on display.
The unusually long showing is because it will coincide with the bicentenary of the birth of Catholic educator and slum reformer Saint John Bosco and with a visit by Pope Francis whose exact date has yet to be established, the Shroud office said.
June 24 is the feast day of Turin’s patron saint St John the Baptist, as well as the name day of Don Bosco, as he is more commonly known.
[ . . . full story ]
Before then, it had been on view in 2000 and has been on display only five times in the past 100 years.
Believers say the linen Shroud was used to wrap the body of Christ after his crucifixion and countless scientific tests conducted over the years have revealed the outline of the body of a man embedded in the fabric.
The Shroud is normally heavily guarded in a bullet-proof, climate-controlled glass case within Turin’s most important cathedral.
Only once before had images of the Shroud been broadcast as ordered in November 1973 by then-pope Paul VI.
Some sceptics maintain the Shroud is nothing more than an elaborate fake dating from the Middle Ages, triggering centuries of debate over whether the image is truly that of Christ, or a very good forgery.
Radiocarbon-dating tests conducted on the cloth in 1988 suggested it dated from between 1260 and 1390; however, other scientists have since claimed those results could have been distorted by centuries of contamination.
That has led to calls for more testing, which the Vatican has consistently refused.
AND: Santa Sindone: Sito Officiale (Holy Shroud, Official Site) has published the dates for the 2015 Exposition on its website. Here is a Bing translation of the Italian language page:
Exposition 2015, here are the dates
Exposition of the shroud from 19 April to June 24, 2015
[ . . . full account]
The dates of the exposition Don Roberto Gottardo presented the dates indicated by the custodian for the exposition of 2015, that the Council approved. The exposition will be held from Sunday 19 April to Wednesday 24 June, feast of Saint John the Baptist, patron saint of Turin and Saint of don Bosco. The longer period (67 days) than that of other exposures of the cloth; but you wanted to, in this way, provide the period most broad possible both for the Pope’s visit for the pilgrimage to the Shroud of the young people who will participate in the various celebrations of the Jubilee salesiano.
Known asPapa Francesco assured his presence in Turin to venerate the Shroud and honor the memory of don Bosco in the bicentenary of the birth; but have not been given precise dates for his visit.[ . . . ]
AND: The official sites’ home page includes this box:
I’ll be working with Canterbury Tours again, as I did in 1998, 2000 and 2010. Now that the dates are confirmed we will start making specific plans. Keep watching for more details in the near future.