Holy Shroud, crossroads ” “between humanity and faith

The “topical relevance” of the Shroud also lies in the daily intersecting of news and events. As it happens, while in Turin opens the solemn exposition of the Shroud, in the sea where Europe ends hundreds of people loose their lives, in a tragic, unconceivable way. At the end of the Mass reporters delivered the news to the archbishop who immediately expressed his indignation, a conditioned reflex for the lost lives, for this “sea of suffering”, that seems to be never ending. The exposition of the Shroud in Turin is also this: to present to that image the suffering of an unbalanced and unjust world, before the image of that Man who offered his life for that world, in the pain and shame of the Cross. The exposition was opened on Sunday April 19 with a solemn Mass and with the augural message of Pope Francis who remembered the Shroud at the end of Regina Coeli. Bergoglio will be in Turin on June 21-22, to venerate the Shroud and honour the memory of Don Bosco, also to remember his piedmontese roots, and for a historical moment of encounter with the evangelical Valdese communities, whose roots in the Turin Alps are centuries-old. Another crossroads: the Shroud is a sign of division between Catholic and evangelicals (the latter don’t worship images in any form): but Francis wanted to unite the two moments in his journey, almost to underline that among Christians there are reasons that are stronger and deeper than historical divisions and cult-related choices. The opening days confirmed the fundamental meaning of the exposition, which is that of a pilgrimage, and to a certain extent, the feast of a people. When the Shroud is exposed in the Dome, it’s as if the city of Turin received the visit of relatives from all over Europe and the rest of the world. The city has started changing its skin some time ago, thereby becoming an area of encounter, culture and tourism. With the exposition this journey gains strength and belief, as the “numbers” keep growing: more people living in Turin are to be seen on the streets, while there are hundreds of thousands more visitors, first-time visitors who pass by the Shroud and then “wander” to the Egyptian museum or to the Mole Antonelliana, in Superga, and – this year more than before – extend their visit to the town of Valdocco to visit Don Bosco. For the people of Turin it’s an opportunity for business, but more than that it’s a general rehearsal of multicultural coexistence, in a city that already for some time has been multiethnic, just like all the large cities in Europe. And the Shroud is a few blocks away from Porta Palazzo, the open market where the stalls are mostly run by the Chinese and the Maghrebis, Sub-saharian Africans and latinos from Perù. This is no news: when Valdocco was the only student residence run by the Salesians, it happened that Cardinal Hlond, archbishop of Warsaw and a son of Don Bosco, would arrive in Porta Palazzo to reserve, in perfect Piedmontese jargon, a couple of kilos of oranges… Youths and sick people are also expected to arrive. The Shroud custodian, Monsignor Cesare Nosiglia, wanted the Exposition to be carefully attentive to them, as they are the signs of the deepest content of the Shroud for the faithful, which is hope. That’s why the motto chosen for the occasion is “The greatest love”, as a reminder that the courting of God to all of us is never-ending, and that in the discovery of that love lies the answer to our truest vocation, that is to be at the service of our brothers and sisters. Young people – Nosiglia said – bring the hope of the future; and the world of suffering cherishes concrete hopes, those very hopes that are conquered day after day, when suffering or pain “dig” inside us and purify us. The pilgrims arriving in Turin know very well that standing before that image of death and pain also means opening up to the hope of Easter. (*) responsabile for communication Exposition 2015