Saturday, July 21, 2007 ‘Shroud of Turin’ awes Pampanga By Albert B. Lacanlale
MEXICO -- Kapampangans on Thursday were awed, albeit intrigued, as Pampanga became the very first to view the replica of one of the millennium’s most controversial religious artifacts. After enlightening New Zealand, the Shroud Exhibits International, Inc. presented last Thursday evening the Philippine Exhibit of The Mystery of the Shroud of Turin at the SM City Pampanga.
Revered for hundreds of years as the burial shroud of Jesus Christ, the Shroud of Turin is locked away in a cathedral in Italy, publicly displayed only three to four times a century.
However, Filipinos need not wait until the next official exposition in 2025, as they have the chance to view the replica of the artifact that has been a subject of many debates for decades.
The exhibit features a life-size replica of the Shroud of Turin, along with some 80 other exhibit items from the collection of Barrie Schortz, the official documenting photographer commissioned by King Umberto II of Savoy, the Shroud’s previous monarch-owner.
The Pampanga exhibit is housed in a makeshift museum inside the soon-to-open annex of SM City Pampanga. The exhibit was officially opened to the public yesterday.
Managed by the Primetrade Asia, Inc., endorsed by the Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) and the Department of Education, and for the benefit of the Sisters of the Holy Face Congregation, The Holy One of the Lord Catholic Foundation, Inc. and the Diocese of Parañaque City, the exhibit is a 45-minute lights and sound show that also features exclusive video clips and other special artifacts.
The exhibition allows visitors to journey with the Shroud’s history, discover the facts and myths behind the most studied archaeological artifact of all time, and unravel the mystery behind this treasured piece.
Visitors will be taken on a module-by-module tour of the historical pilgrimage of the Shroud including the Way of the Cross, and the various theories based on art, science, technology, and the Bible that aim to shed light on this historical, scientific and ecclesiastical phenomenon.
A Reflection Room is also open to visitors, who wish to spend some moments in quiet solace and prayer, while a special area of the exhibition is also set for special events, such as seminars and workshops, hosted by religious groups.
Archbishop Paciano Aniceto said though debates on whether the Shroud of Turin is indeed the burial cloth of Jesus of Nazareth or if it were only a medieval forgery, the spirit of the death of Christianity’s cornerstone should not be overshadowed by intrigues.
“We should be more focused on the spiritual things and not on material things,” Aniceto said.
