Pope will travel to northern Italy in May to see Shroud of Turin
(Oct.28,2009): Pope Benedict XVI will join hundreds of thousands of pilgrims travelling
to northern Italy in 2010 to see the Shroud of Turin, which many believe is the burial
cloth of Christ. The Vatican and the Archdiocese of Turin announced on Tuesday that
Pope Benedict will visit the city May 2. "As the first act of his visit, the Holy
Father will pause for personal prayer before the holy shroud," the archdiocese said.
Earlier in the year, the archdiocese had announced the shroud would be on public
display April 10-May 23, 2010, offering members of the public their first opportunity
to see the shroud, since it underwent major cleaning and restoration in 2002. The
work involved removing 30 fabric patches and a fabric backing, known as the Holland
Cloth, sewn onto the shroud in 1534 after a fire. Pope Benedict's visit to Turin
will include the celebration of an outdoor Mass, a visit with a group of sick people
and an evening gathering with young people. The Archdiocese of Turin operates
a Web site -- www.sindone.org -- with information about the shroud, the current state
of scientific studies on the cloth and information for tourists, which will include
the possibility of making a reservation online to view the shroud during the exposition
period.