Manila Cathedral exhibits Holy Shroud replica, other sacred relics until Oct. 16
A consecrated replica of the Holy Shroud is currently on display at the Manila Cathedral, along with other sacred relics associated with the Passion of Jesus Christ.
The exhibit, entitled "Who Do You Say I Am?", comes 50 years after the shroud was first shown in the Philippines in 1976. It was officially unveiled on Oct. 2 and will be open to the public for free until Oct. 16 at the Blessed Souls and St. Jude chapels of the cathedral in Intramuros.
To Catholics, the shroud is one of the most sacred and mysterious relics of Christendom.
It is also an archaeological artifact, said Rev. Fr. Joseph Spence, FFM, professor of Shroud Studies at the Atheneum Pontificum Regina Apostolorum in Rome, in an interview with Jessica Soho posted on Facebook on Oct. 3.
"The authenticity is proper to archaeology, because the shroud is an archaeological object. So is it authentic or not? Did it belong, in this case, to Jesus Christ? Was it the linen that wrapped Jesus after his death and when he was buried in the tomb and witnessed his resurrection? I personally believe it is," Spence said.
According to him, the Church won't make an official pronouncement as to the authenticity of the Shroud "because it is not a matter of faith and morals."
He added, "The blood stains are real human blood, AB blood type."
"The imprint was caused by a flash of an incredible amount of light energy. The scientists say you'd need 34 billion watts to reproduce the whole image of the man on the shroud today, which is impossible to reproduce in a laboratory," Spence continued.
A paper published on ScienceDirect described the shroud as 14 feet long and bearing the life-size image of a man.
The paper further cited several documentaries that appeared to corroborate what Spence said, saying the blood on the shroud was found to be human, male, type AB, and Semitic. More details reported that the cloth marks had high levels of ferritin and creatine, which suggest the body it was wrapped around had sustained multiple severe injuries.
The original shroud is housed in the Cathedral of Turin in Italy, and is rarely shown to the public.
"Who Do You Say I Am?" is presented by the Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulchre of Jerusalem, Lieutenancy of the Philippines, together with the Missionary Sisters of the Holy Face of Jesus.
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