VATICAN CITY - The Shroud of Turin, revered by many Christians as the cloth in which Jesus Christ was buried, will go on display again in the northern Italian city in 2010, Pope Benedict XVI said on Monday.
"Another solemn exhibition of the shroud" will take place in spring 2010, the pope said during an audience with pilgrims from Turin.
The display will be "a propitious occasion to contemplate this mysterious visage that speaks silently to men's hearts, inviting them to recognise the face of God," Benedict said.
Father Vince Gulikers, pastor of the Holy Name of Mary Church in Windsor, Ont., examines a replica of the Shroud of Turin that was on display there in 2006.
Dan Janisse/Windsor Star
The piece of linen some four metres long and one metre wide (12 by three feet), bearing what many believe to be the imprint of Christ's face around the time of his resurrection, was discovered in the mid-14th century in a church in northeastern France.
The relic has been a source of constant controversy.
Historians and scientists using carbon dating techniques say the cloth was fabricated between 1260 and 1390.
The Shroud of Turin was last exhibited in 2000 when then Pope John Paul II wanted the faithful attending that year's World Youth Day, in Rome, to have a chance to view it.
"Another solemn exhibition of the shroud" will take place in spring 2010, the pope said during an audience with pilgrims from Turin.
The display will be "a propitious occasion to contemplate this mysterious visage that speaks silently to men's hearts, inviting them to recognise the face of God," Benedict said.
Father Vince Gulikers, pastor of the Holy Name of Mary Church in Windsor, Ont., examines a replica of the Shroud of Turin that was on display there in 2006.Dan Janisse/Windsor Star
The piece of linen some four metres long and one metre wide (12 by three feet), bearing what many believe to be the imprint of Christ's face around the time of his resurrection, was discovered in the mid-14th century in a church in northeastern France.
The relic has been a source of constant controversy.
Historians and scientists using carbon dating techniques say the cloth was fabricated between 1260 and 1390.
The Shroud of Turin was last exhibited in 2000 when then Pope John Paul II wanted the faithful attending that year's World Youth Day, in Rome, to have a chance to view it.