The Philippine Exhibition of The Mystery of the Shroud of Turin

Posted on September 13, 2007
Filed Under Faith and Spirituality, Information | Viewed 10190 times

I had the chance to see The Philippine Exhibition of The Mystery of the Shroud of Turin last 7 September as part of the press conference which included a media tour of the exhibit (photography and videos of the exhibit) and an interview with Shroud Scholar Barrie Schwortz. The Mystery of the Shroud of Turin is a 45-minute lights and sound show featuring a replica of the Shroud together with exclusive videos and over 80 other exhibit items. In the Philippines, it was first shown in SM City Pampanga, then in SM Mall of Asia from 8 September to 9 December. It will then move to SM City Davao from 18 January to 3 February 2008 and SM City Cebu from 4 to 27 April 2008.

The Shroud of Turin, a mysterious artifact, which draws hundreds of thousands of pilgrims all over the world each time it is displayed—which incidentally happens only 3 to 4 times a century, is locked away in a cathedral in Italy. One of the questions that comes to mind to almost everyone is, “Is it really the cloth that wrapped Christ’s crucified body, or is it simply a medieval forgery, a hoax perpetrated by some clever artist?” This must perhaps be the reason why the Catholic Church allowed the examination of the Shroud in 1978 by international experts and the Shroud of Turin Research Project (STURP), a team of American scientists and photographers.

Schwortz, a member of STURP, and the Official Documenting Photographer for the Shroud, said that “the greatest value of the Shroud of Turin is that it makes you think. The Exhibit exists so that people can suspend their judgment, see all the facts about the Shroud of Turin and decide for themselves.” Schwortz is an Orthodox Jew, During the interview, I asked him if he ever had any spiritual awakening or experience while working on the Shroud. His answer:

.

When I first saw the Shroud, I felt this is not important for me because I was not a Christian, I am a Jew. But over the years, if you ask me what I believe, in the end, it forced me to look in my own heart, and I found God. Having been raised as a Jew, God is part of our life everyday, and with the Shroud It forced me to reevaluate to look in my own heart, and I found God was there all he time. It had an impact in my life, not exactly what my Christian friends would like to hear from me. But the truth of the matter is that the Shroud itself impacted my own faith while reconnecting me with my own beliefs. It had a good impact on me though.

As for me, the 45-minute lights and sounds show somehow brought me to a meditative state, reminiscent of the moods of a Holy Week experience.

The Exhibit is endorsed by the Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines. The organizers would like to invite everyone to watch it from 8 September-9 December, at the Shroud of Turin Pavilion, Entertainment Mall, SM Mall of Asia (beside Discovery Center). It allows visitors to journey with the Shroud’s history, discover the facts and myths behind the most studies archaeological artifact of all time, and unravel the mustery behind the treasured piece. Tickets are available at the booths at P250 each, P200 for senior citizens with valid ID and for groups of 50, P230 for prep students. The Exhibit is open from 10 am everyday, with the last show to start at 9 pm and finish at about 10 pm.

Mr. Barrie Schwortz, the Official Documenting Photographer for the Shroud of Turin Research Project, the team that conducted the first in-depth scientific examination of the Shroud in 1978, will be in the Philippines for the opening of the exhibit in SM Mall of Asia. He is also the editor and publisher of the internationally recognized Shroud of Turin website, and has conducted Shroud lectures around the world. As the leading imaging expert on the Shroud, Mr. Schwortz has participated in programs on the History Channel, the Discovery Channel, the Learning Channel, the National Geographic Channel, CNN, CBS, NBC, PBS, BBC and Vatican Radio, as well as hundreds of books and publications.

Comments

9 Responses to “The Philippine Exhibition of The Mystery of the Shroud of Turin”

Kyels on September 13th, 2007 2:47 pm

This is new to me. I’ll look up on the information about this. Really interesting!

[:
Toe on September 13th, 2007 4:33 pm

The Shroud of Turin has really been enigmatic to me. True or not… it is very interesting and makes you think. So they just feature a replica in the exhibit or is it the real thing?

SexyMom: It is a replica, Toe.
Gina on September 13th, 2007 8:27 pm

I remember watching a TV documentary on the Shroud of Turin many years ago, and I found myself so fascinated. If I remember it right, I think they found out thru CT (?) scan that the image on the cloth wasn’t caused by dye, but by being put on top of a bloodied face, which bore the markings of the wounds much like those of Jesus’. And when they dated it , it is from that same age. Talagang nakaka-intriga. We do have a big picture of the Shroud of Turin in our cathedral in Samar.

I will have to read more about this now that I got reminded thru your post.
Blooey on September 14th, 2007 1:27 am

(in response to Toe’s question, and to anyone else interested)

The replica on exhibit is one of the very few accurate replicas in existence. The replica was made using Barrie Schwortz’ photos of the Shroud (the most detailed pictures available of the Shroud), printed on cloth.

The real Shroud of Turin is in the Cathedral in Turin, Italy. It was willed to the Catholic Church by the Savoys in 1985 with one stipulation—that it never leaves Turin.

Even if you go to Turin, Italy in 2025 (the next exposition of the Shroud—they only do it 3-4 times a century), the Shroud will be suspended from a wall about ten meters away. In this exhibit, you will be able to get as close as 1 meter to the Shroud replica, which has been created to resemble the real artifact as accurately as possible
Blooey on September 14th, 2007 1:38 am

(in response to Gina’s comment)

According to Mr. Schwortz, the sum total of particles of pigment found on the Shroud wasn’t enough to form the image on the Shroud (if you lump them all together you would still need a microscope to view the aggregate), and this can be attributable to the countless of painters starting the Medieval period who actually laid their paintings on the Shroud for veneration.

Also, the castle of the Savoys (previous monarch-owner of the Shroud) in Turin is decorated with walls and walls of paintings, this could also have contributed to the presence of pigments on the Shroud.

The Los Alamos National Laboratories did a vertical projection scan on a photo of the Shroud and found that it had extraordinary 3D properties that normal photos or paintings don’t have. They were actually able to project a human form from the Shroud photo, leading scientists to believe that it the image was formed as the piece of cloth was laid over a three-dimensional figure. This later on led to the formation of the Shroud of Turin Research Project in 1978.

You can find more scientific information on the Shroud of Turin on http://www.shroud.com, Barrie Schwortz’ website.
jhay on September 14th, 2007 5:45 am

Ah yes, the Shroud of Turin. We did a research on it way back in my college freshman year. It was a fun project because it was a perfect excuse to go on a “bisita iglesia” tour of some of the churches in Manila.

We came to the conclusion that the shroud is not the actual cloth used on Jesus, carbon dating says the shroud is somewhere between 200-300 years old. Then again others would refute this.

It’s no longer important to me if the shroud is the real deal or not. It’s how we practice the teachings of Christ that really matters to me.

You may have all the images of the Saints and the Holy Trinity in your home but if your faith serves only you then it’s an empty faith.
issai on September 15th, 2007 2:36 pm

the shroud was in a church fire in the middle ages and it might have interfered with the carbon dating. another discovery that happened is that the cloth had fungus which could also interfere with carbon dating. they’ve tried to test the blood which they said turned out to be iron oxide, we’ll never know. this information i learned was from years ago. the problem with this is that the church only gave a tiny little sample, and researchers where made to guess what really happened.

yes, the shroud doesn’t affect my faith. for me it’s just an earthly object which you may or may not give meaning to.
Jom on November 13th, 2007 8:01 pm

WOW I JUST HAD THE CHANCE TO SEE IT YESTERDY… REALLY INFORMATIVE…
clarisa on November 13th, 2007 8:45 pm

Hey. Thanks for featuring this. We just had our Educational Field Trip in the SM Mall of Asia and we visited the Shroud. Our teacher in Science told us to write a report about the Shroud and the science behind it. I would just like to ask for a list of the tests that the Shroud had undergone just to prove that it is really the cloth used to wrap he body of Jesus before burying Him. Thanks. ^__

SexyMom: Thanks, Clarisa. You may find the bits and pieces here: http://www.shroud.com/history.htm