TURIN, Italy (CNS): Trapped particles of dirt and scorched fabric had darkened parts of the Shroud of Turin and eventually could have made it difficult to see the shroud’s image of a crucified man, said Cardinal Severino Poletto of Turin.
At a media conference on September 21 in Turin, the cardinal explained the 40-day cleaning and restoration process the shroud underwent recently and released photographs taken during the work.
The work involved removing 30 fabric patches and a fabric backing sewn onto the shroud in 1534 after a fire.
The removal of the backing, known as the Holland Cloth, also permitted the photographing and digital scanning of the back side of the shroud, which many people believe is the burial cloth of Christ.
When Italian reporters first discovered the work had been done, newspapers were filled with articles expressing surprise and alarm that work might have been done that was not considered necessary by some scientists.
