Shroud of Turin to Boost Religious Travel

After 10 years of being locked away, the Shroud of Turin is slated for display in 2010.  It is normally rolled up and locked away in a silver box, and kept under close guard in the Chapel of the Holy Shroud, with a replica on display.  But Pope Benedict has announced that the real thing will be put on display for the faithful to see next year, and as a result, religious travel promises to be booming.

The Shroud is a linen cloth (measuring approximately 14  1/2 x 4 feet) that is believed to have been the burial cloth of Jesus.  Many Christians believe that the cloth has an image of a crucified man, with a beard and long hair, with arms folded across his chest.  The cloth appears to have blood, seemingly from wounds in the wrists, feet and side.

The Shroud in not without controversy, however, with many claiming that its provenance is a myth.  Carbon dating tests indicated the cloth dated to a time period completely inconsistent with the crucifixion theory.  Yet, scientists haven’t been able to explain the image on the cloth.  Thus the arguments begin, scientists claiming that the image could have been printed on the cloth and theologians arguing that the testing was faulty.  The religious controversy aside, this is still a historical artifact of note.

The Shroud will be on display at the Cathedral of St. John the Baptist in Turin, Italy, from April 4th – May 20th, and is expected to draw over two million visitors to the Piemonte region.  That’s a lot of people for this area, so accommodations are going to be at a premium.  Tour operators are creating packages to include a visit to the Shroud, so if you’d like to view this religious artifact, contact your Travel Agent for assistance or start doing your research online.  Book early, it will be next year before you know it.

NOTE:  The Catholic Church does not officially claim that the Shroud is the burial cloth of Jesus, nor that it is a belief of faith.  Its position is that the cloth should serve as a reminder to the faithful of Jesus’ passion.  Pope John Paul viewed the shroud in 1998, and called on science to find answers to the questions raised by the cloth.  The questions have gone unanswered, and controversy remains.

Photo credit: Wikipedia