Events28 June 2015

Pope Francis visits Turin’s Holy #Shroud

Pope Francis was in Turin on Sunday 21st of June in occasion of the exhibition of the Holy Shroud.

Pope Francis on the threshold of Turin Cathedral (Duomo) with Archbishop Cesare Nosiglia and Regent of the Prefecture Of the Pontifical Household Leonardo Sapienza, after praying before the Shroud.

Pope Francis was in Turin on Sunday 21st of June in occasion of the exhibition of the Holy Shroud, conserved in the Cathedral (Duomo) of Saint John the Baptist.

The Pope prayed several minutes in front of the Shroud and touched the protective glass with his right hand in silence.

During his visit at the Cathedral, Pope Francis met some of his relatives from the little Piedmontese town of Portacomaro Stazione, and some members of the family of Blessed Pier Giorgio Frassati, whose remains are conserved in the Cathedral. Prince of Piedmont Emanuele Filiberto of Savoia was also present, unannounced, with his wife and two daughters.

This was the Pope’s first apostolic visit to the city of Turin, in the Northern Italian region of Piedmont.

During the Mass held in Piazza Vittorio on Sunday, Pope Francis said that ‘the shroud attracts towards the face and the martyred body of Jesus and at the same time pushes us towards the face of those who suffer or are unjustly persecuted. It pushes us in the direction of the gift that is Jesus' love.’

The Holy Shroud is on display on Turin’s Cathedral from April 19 to June 24 this year. The Shroud, a linen cloth that bears the image of a crucified man, is believed by many Catholics to be the original cloth placed on the body of Jesus Christ after his crucifixion.

The Holy Shroud appears as one of Christianity’s most controversial relics, as it is not officially recognised by the Catholic Church and the many scientific tests carried on it have shown contrasting and not definitive results.

Since the opening of the public exhibition, a very rare and special event, more than one million people from across the world have already visited the centuries-old relics.

All photos credited to Gianluca Avagnina

The Holy Shroud was on public display in Turin Cathedral from April 19 to June 24.

Pope Francis arriving at Turin Cathedral on Sunday morning. Among other official visits, the busy schedule of the Pope included some private moments before the Holy Shroud, on a rare public exhibition inside the Duomo.

Pope Francis on the threshold of Turin Cathedral (Duomo) with Archbishop Cesare Nosiglia after praying before the Shroud.

'Benvenuto Francesco' —Turin welcomes Pope Francis, who has Piedmontese origins himself: on Sunfay he visited the church of Santa Teresa were his grandparents got married and where his father was baptised.

Pope Francis leaving in procession after celebrating mass before ten of thousands of people gathered in Piazza Vittorio Veneto in Turin on Sunday. Pope Francis was on a two-day apostolic visit to the Northern Italian city.

Tens of thousands of people attended the Sunday mass with the Pope in Piazza Vittorio Veneto in Turin. Pope Francis was on a two-day apostolic visit to the Northern Italian city.