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Pastoral of the Shroud
What has been said so far was meant to describe the starting point of the Pastoral of the Shroud, which supported the organization and realization of the Exposition (9). Once understood that there can be a legitimate approach to the Shroud for a believer, we can consider the linen as a great possibility of evangelization. The Pastoral of the Shroud, although respecting scientific researches is totally devoted to a work of evangelization. It wants to spread the word of God to the largest number of people. And this should happen in contemporary with scientific investigations and also before any result is given. This point of view was shared by most people who organized the Exposition, last spring. Generally speaking, this was also a recurrent belief of those who had to deal with the
Shroud in the past. People always focused on the message of that image, more than on the
material object, although, especially in ancient history, the idea that there was a direct
link between the image on the linen and Jesus’ body was widespread, (the Shroud used
to be described as "relic"). Among those who believe in the authenticity of the Shroud many thought that we should insist on apologetic issues, (10) - such as the antiquity of the linen. They thought our interpretation was an undeserved renounce. On the contrary, those who are against a religious interpretation of the Shroud
(believers and atheists, Catholics and Protestants) thought that this attitude was just a
way to avoid the disillusionment that the result of scientific research will bring (11). We tried to explain to the first group, the believers,
that we were open to a scientific investigation and of course deeply interested in the
problematic on the origins of the Shroud . (12), Nonetheless
science can not give any certainty at the moment, and it was only the figure on the Shroud
that could still convince people and could inspire a radical choice such as becoming a
witness of the word of the Lord. We asked then the group of non-believers to
consider only the official positions of the Church and not ideas and events organized by
other people. First of all, a previous study about the Shroud was needed: we collected documents, pictures, evidences, medical reports in addition to an elementary knowledge of the Gospel. Then we had to make clear the purpose of this devotional act: it must be seen as a help for human mind and heart, never an obstacle for faith. If the object became a fetish or an idol that would prevent people form a real journey in the Faith. Basically this is the point Protestant Churches are against. In fact, Protestant Churches have rejected dogmatically the idea of relic and sacred image. They accused Catholic Church to create problematic issues (accepting the shroud) that could prevent the believers from a more mature form of faith. Usually something hard to understand provokes a strong interest in men and influences their lives. In this case it happens when we assume the possibility of a real contact between the object and the person it represents. The fact that what I see is not just a portrait that reminds me of Jesus’ love and sufferings, but it is the linen that really wrapped Jesus’ body gives me a deep emotion. Man does not have the power to decide what degree of knowledge we can achieve. In fact, God has often used poor, weak, humble instruments to communicate His message, and men did not always understand His will at once. The Shroud can be presented as an expressive, clear and effective object, that can help people to remember the word of God, being itself its witness, and to live the Gospel in their life. During his pilgrimage, last spring, the Pope explained the main issues in the Shroud’s message. He called the Shroud "a provocation to human mind", and he urged scientists to pursue their studies, to finally find answers, which are important for everybody. Since the Shroud is a mirror of the Gospel, it is right to insist on its value. Everybody can see it but nobody can explain it. It inspires thoughts that can influence big life decisions in every man and woman. The Shroud is an image of suffering and it is also an invitation to think of the sufferings of the world, in particular those inflicted to innocent people, with which Christ’s cross expressed sympathy. In fact, that is a horrifying document about the way men can hurt another man. The image of the Shroud leads us to accept the mystery of grief’s fertility, it repeats us that our salvation came from Christ’s grief. The Shroud is both a portrait of love and sin. It invites us to discover which were the ultimate reasons for what was witnessed at Christ’s death: God’s never ending love ("you could not love me more!") and the wickedness of sin. It invites us to believe in love and refuse sin. It is image of human powerlessness, it shows us the most uncanny aspect of the mystery of incarnation. It shows how God became a man, subjected to human annihilating weakness, in which a man can lose his humanity. Finally, it is image of silence: "not only the silence of death but also that pacific and courageous silence that overcomes the ephemeral world". It testify how much man can expect form the total gift of God our savior. Of course, in this pastoral, there are both ordinary and special activities. The period of the exposition was a special and extraordinary one, for the possibility of a direct approach to the Shroud and also (14) for the special intensity that characterized the life of pilgrims and of the local churches that hosted them.
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