As of Today the Shroud of Turin Yours to See

Today’s Good Friday is the one when people worldwide can personally view, in high resolution, the holy relic known as the Shroud of Turin via ipads and smart phones.

At a time when new research is suggesting that the Shroud dates to the lifetime of Jesus, you can view the Shroud of Turin for yourself. There’s an app for that. Sanctioned by the Catholic church, It is called “Shroud 2.0” and it can be downloaded as of today for free. Technology is lifting the veil on the 14-ft-long linen cloth, which many believe was used to bury Christ’s body when it was lifted down from the cross after His crucifixion 2,000 years ago. Although hundreds of thousands of the faithful flock annually to the Turin Cathedral of St. John where the relic is kept in a specially designed, climate-controlled case, right up until today, people could have only seen it five times in the last 100 years, when Popes including John Paul 11 and Benedict XV1 allowed the Shroud to go on public display.

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“For the first time in history the most detailed image of the Shroud ever achieved is  available to the whole world, thanks to a streaming system, which allows a precise exploration – also in the “negative” version – wherever you are, without any time or distance restriction:  each detail of the cloth can be magnified and visualized in a way which would otherwise not be possible.   The utmost level of display of the image shall be available in the version with fee, at 3.59 euros, whereas the free version shall however offer a suggestiveperspective of the Shroud accompanied by the Evangelic background it witnesses. (Vatican Today, March 28, 2013). Technology is allowing you your own portal into the Shroud at a time when a new book claims that the Shroud of Turin is not a medieval forgery, but could, in fact come from the time of Christ’s death. “Shroud 2.0” was created in conjunction with the special television Exposition to be aired over Italy’s Rai Uno tomorrow night with the newly-elected Pope Francis providing the introduction via voiceover when images of the Shroud appear on television. “The Shroud, the sheet kept in the Turin Cathedral which, by tradition, would be the one in which Jesus body was wrapped in the sepulchre as quoted in the Gospels, is no doubt one of the most intense and well-known symbols of Christianity.  Although this tradition – however based on multiple evidences resulting from scientific investigations – cannot be deemed formally proved, the Shroud directly and immediately recalls the Passion of Christ, due to the features of its imprint.   Hence, it becomes a tool of understanding and meditation – “mirror of the Gospel”  as Pope John Paul II defined it – which on the occasion of the Year of Faith announced by the Catholic Church represents an extraordinary Evangelization vehicle.”  But now, “a kind of “Digital Exposition” shall be constantly  available on the displays of anyone having an iPad or iPhone-probably in the future also for those using Android. Besides exploring the Shroud in every single spot with the touch screen picture, users will also be conducted along a knowledge and meditation journey by the technological device. “In fact, this application allows to enhance the understanding of the cloth in an interactive and dynamic way through a real virtual tour along  four theme routes, currently available in  Italian, Spanish, English and Portuguese, corresponding to four “navigation” options of the Sheet:   story from the Gospels, elements of the cloth, elements of the figure, and scientific aspects. “The observation of the Shroud also offers unexpected discoveries, with the chance to move on the cloth’s surface seeking after rarely known details.   Among which, for instance, the “wax drops”:  in ancient times both private and public expositions were accompanied by a ceremony aimed at highlighting its importance and sacredness which involved the use of candles. In various spots of the Shroud, outside the imprint, you can notice small rounded shapes which, with the remarkable magnification achieved by the App, prove tobe wax stains, both red and white colour. Details from the new research of the relic can be found in a new book, “11 Mistero della Sindone” or The Mystery of the Shroud, by Giulio Fanti, a professor of mechanical and thermal measurement at Padua University, and Saverio Gaeta, a journalist.” Scientists, including book author Professor Fanti, uses infra-red light and spectroscopy--the measurement of radiation intensity through wavelengths--to analyze fibres from the shroud. Most significantly for readers, the tests Professor Fanti and his team of scientists conducted dated the age of the shroud to between 300 BC and 400 AD--a date range that includes the period in which Jesus Christ lived and died. In Europe, images of the shroud will appear on television on Saturday, the day before Easter Sunday, which commemorates the Resurrection. Thanks to Haltadefinizione, the makers of the app, people who live in hope of being there for the next Exposition, can see the Shroud of Turin as often as they wish in the peace and privacy of their own homes. A Blessed Easter to all.