ANSWERS TO COMMON QUESTIONS ABOUT THE SHROUD OF TURIN:
WHERE THE SHROUD CAME FROM
STIGMATIZED PALMS
BLOOD AND WATER
"YOU SHALL NOT BREAK A BONE OF HIM"
ENDORSEMENT BY POPES
No reference to the Holy Shroud has so far been found in early Catholic literature, that is during the first three centuries of the Church, which was the time of the first persecutions. Any reference to it might have led to the discovery of the Shroud by the enemies of Christ. Since the cross was still being used as a form of capital punishment, the Holy See forbid the use of a cross with a figure on it or to even paint one. The prohibition would necessarily include any display or promotion of the Shroud, which gives a vivid representation of the Passion of Our Lord. It was not until 692 that the Church decreed that Christ on the Cross should replace the image of the Lamb. At that time Christ was still depicted as being alive. The Crucifix as we know it today was not in use before the tenth century.
We have conclusive evidence that the Holy Shroud of Turin is the one and same as the one exhibited at Constantinople for hundreds of years; A couple of years ago there arose a false finding due to faulty carbon dating technique, and the Shroud was declared not authentic. The scientists have retracted that hasty conclusion and the Shroud is now accepted as the Shroud of Our Lord.
There is historic evidence that the Emperors of Constantinople showed the Shroud to many distinguished visitors between 1171 and 1203. It was exposed to veneration every Friday at the time of the Crusades. This after the prohibition was lifted by the Holy See. The Shroud came to France as a result of the Fourth Crusade when one of the Dukes was given it for compensation of a debt; he in turn gave it to a French bishop who exposed it in his cathedral for veneration every Easter Sunday. A subsequent fire caused some damage and in the aftermath the King of France was given custody; he gave it to a friend. The bishop was unable to recover ownership. It was at this time that paintings and drawings of the Shroud became known.
A fire again threatened the Shroud in 1349, the church where it was kept was completely destroyed and the box holding the Shroud lost. But it was later found unharmed. But it was later tinged by fire at suffered 16 holes, which were mended by the Poor Clare Nuns of Chambrey. In 1578 the Shroud was brought to Turin in Italy in order to save the aged St. Charles Borromeo the hardship of journeying to Chambrey to venerate it. It has remained in Turin ever since.
The visions and or
revelations to St. Bridget comport with the scientific
and medical evidence relating to the authenticity of the Shroud.
In recent years there has
been controversy over the carbon dating
method used. Scientists have all too often unfortunately, been bitten
by the political correctness bug and much of the research is tainted. A
few years ago the Abbe de Nante's web site, the Catholic
Counter-Reformation, published an article exposing the duplicity of the
carbon dating process used for the Shroud at the time. When I went back
to access the link, it was no longer viable. True sci3ence will always
support Catholic truth in the end, if God permits the knowledge in the
first place. But for now we have to wait for the world to catch up with
the Church.
It is certain that most stigmatists like St. Francis of Assisi, Padre Pio, Teresa Neumann, etc., have the wounds in the palms of their hands. This does not mean that these stigmata are the exact reproduction of the wounds in the hands of Our Savior. These wounds vary in appearance, and they are sometimes superficial, sometimes deep, varying from an excoriation to a gaping hole. It is generally considered that the variation in the stigmata have mystical meaning for each stigmatist.
"But one of the soldiers
with a spear opened His side, and immediately
there came our blood and water." (John 19:34)
Medical experiments have demonstrated that if serious enough blows are given to the chest in the area of the heart, a pericarditis can set in and with further blows,, such as a scourging can eventually produce a rapid and voluminous discharge as recorded in Scripture.
"YOU SHALL NOT BREAK A BONE OF HIM"
St. John is here quoting
Isaiah the Prophet. The Holy Shroud and
the Contemplatives who have visions concerning it give evidence that it
was the heel of the hand and not the wrist that was nailed.
SOURCE: THE HOLY SHROUD AND
FOUR VISIONS
by RADIO REPLIES PRESS
The Holy Shroud is Almighty God talking to modern humanity in a language they can understand. More than 30 Popes have expressed confidence in the authenticity of the Holy Shroud.
Pope Pius IX
Said “This salutary reparation to the Holy Face of Jesus is a Divine work, destined to save modern society.”
Pope St. Pius X
Expressed the desire that it be venerated in the homes of all Christian families.
Pope Pius XI
Gave pictures of the Holy Face from the Shroud to youths saying: "They are the pictures of the Divine Son of Mary; they come, in fact, from that object known as the Shroud of Turin; still mysterious, but certainly not the work of any human hand."
Pope Pius XII
Asked to spread knowledge and veneration of so great and sacred a Relic.
Pope John XXIII
On seeing the Relic, said, "This can only be the Lord's own doing."
Pope Paul VI
Praised the Holy Shroud saying, "Perhaps only the Image from the Holy Shroud reveals to us something of the human and divine personality of Christ."
Blessings and indulgences have been placed by the Papal Magisterium on devotion to the Holy Face, never to be taken away due to the importance of this devotion.
Forward for images
of the Holy Face.
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