"Sacred way" to the East” “

“The Winter Olympics in Turin (10-26 February 2006) will bring a variation in the number and type of pilgrims and visitor”, but perhaps also “a growth in interest in and love for the Holy Shroud”. At least that is the hope of the diocesan Commission of Turin for the Holy Shroud which, through its bulletin “Sindone News”, provides a “network” for all those who cherish in their heart a particular devotion to the “sacred sheet”: the shroud that, according to tradition, was wound round the body of Jesus after he was taken down from the cross. The fifth centenary of the concession of the liturgy and feast of the Holy Shroud, will be celebrated just after the Olympic Games, while a study conference is scheduled for 3-4 May 2006. “LENTEN CLOTHS” FROM EASTERN EUROPE. “The recent displays [of the Shroud] opened us up to many European countries that have come to the Holy Shroud amid many difficulties”, says the last number of “Sindone News” (available on request on info@sindone.org), which reports a testimony that comes from a region that comprises territories on the frontier between present-day Eastern Germany (the former DDR), the Czech Republic and Poland: “The beauty of the landscape is accompanied by the presence of a significant number of religious centres, most of them still Catholic. Local operators have come up with the idea of promoting this rich heritage for a form of religious tourism aimed at offering occasions for cultural and spiritual enrichment”. A “Sacred Way” has thus been designated. It traverses territories inhabited by Germans, Sorbs (a population of Slav origin, settled in a territory to the East of the Dresden-Berlin line, Latin-rite Catholic in religion), Poles and Czechs and links together churches, monasteries and other sacred sites in the regions of the Upper Lausitz, Lower Silesia and Northern Bohemia. Two objects in this area have close relations with the Holy Shroud in Turin: the “Lenten cloths” in Zittau and the “Holy Shroud” of Brumov. The Fastentücher (Lenten cloths) were paintings of various size depicting scenes of the Passion of Christ. They were exposed to the veneration of the faithful especially during the liturgical times that recalled most closely the sufferings of the Lord. The little town of Zittau possesses two such cloths: the larger dates to the late fifteenth century and was recently restored by Mechthild Flury-Lemberg, after the disasters caused by the occupation troops during the last world war. Brumov is situated in what is now the Czech Republic. It boasts of a pictorial copy of the Holy Shroud dating to the first half of the seventeenth century, which gave rise to the various copies extant. The arrival of the Shroud in that distant region is due to the close kinship ties between local families and the House of Savoy. “Those who love the Holy Shroud – says the bulletin – don’t feel alien in these regions and feel the presence of a community of spirits that encourages us to intensify the exchange of the riches that history has accumulated in our lands”. “BOOM” OF VISITORS. In August there were over 1,500 visitors to the Holy Shroud in Turin, a significant increase over the same month of last year. They included some groups of young people bound for Cologne for World Youth Day with Pope Benedict XVI. Altogether the increase of visitors from the beginning of the year to 31 August has been some 15% over the same period of 2004: due not least to the renovation of the system of audioguides, now available in five languages (Italian, French, English, German and Spanish), which enhance a visit to the Museum with a guided tour lasting over an hour and a half. AN ITINERARY FOR THE BLIND. In recent days, informs “Sindone News”, a new project has begun that will mark a new stage in the overcoming of architectural barriers (the museum is now accessible to the disabled and, thanks to the audioguides, can also be enjoyed by the hard of hearing): namely, the realization of an itinerary equipped for the blind, realized in collaboration with Tactile Vision Onlus and the Italian Union of the Blind. The project is aimed at the realization of supports such as three-dimensional drawings, texts in Braille and a specially dedicated audioguide, as well as a training course for Museum volunteers, taught by experts in the field of accessibility for the disabled and the production of three-dimensional material for the blind and those with sight disabilities. The installation ought to be ready by December, in time for the Winter Olympics and Paralympics in early 2006. (www.sindone.org).