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Friday, July 10, 2015

Shroud of Turin: Mysterious burial cloth is genuine, says long-time researcher

INDIANAPOLIS – The Shroud of Turin is an ancient linen showing a faint image of what appears to be a crucifixion victim – a man many believe to be Jesus of Nazareth. Some say it’s a forgery and hoax – yet theologians, scientists and scholars have spent countless hours studying this curious fabric.

Barrie Schwortz, an Orthodox Jew, is among those who have studied the storied Shroud.  A professional technical photographer, he was invited to participate in the first ever in-depth scientific examination of the cloth, known as the Shroud of Turin Research Project in 1978. He was a skeptic at first, but over the years became convinced of the Shroud’s authenticity based on mounting scientific evidence.

Schwortz, considered one of the world’s leading experts on the Shroud, will share his expertise and experiences at a free public event at Franciscan St. Francis Health-Indianapolis, Saturday, July 11. The event starts at 9:15 a.m. in the hospital’s basement auditorium (8111 S. Emerson Ave. Main Entrance).

In a recent interview with The Catholic Report World, Schwortz said: “One of my favorite testimonials as to the authenticity of the Shroud actually came from my Jewish mother. She was originally from Poland, and had only a high school education. She heard one of my lectures, and afterwards we were driving home. She was quiet for a long time — you have to worry when a Jewish mother is quiet – so I asked her, ‘Mom, what did you think?’ She said, “Barrie, of course it’s authentic. They wouldn’t have kept it for 2,000 years if it wasn’t’… ”

In 2009, Schwortz founded the Shroud of Turin Education and Research Association, an organization which publishes fact-based information. In addition to this extensive online resource, the group maintains a vast collection of scientific and historical material crucial to the continuing study of the Shroud.

View a recent presentation Schwortz delivered HERE.


The Shroud of Turin is kept in the royal chapel of the Cathedral of Saint John the Baptist in northern Italy.