La bellezza della gratuità – Dritti al cuore 11.03.2026

• Emanuela Campanile: Host.
• Sister Emanuela Prisco: Host (referred to as “Sister Emanuela”).
• Father Rafael Pascual: Guest and curator of the exhibition.

Sister Emanuela: Joining us today is Father Rafael Pascual, one of the curators of the exhibition “Who Is the Man of the Shroud?”, promoted by the Pontifical Athenaeum Regina Apostolorum in Rome. Welcome, Father Rafael Pascual.

Emanuela Campanile: Welcome, Father.

Father Rafael Pascual: Hello, good morning.

Sister Emanuela: I’d say, Father, let’s start with the very question that gives the exhibition its title: who is the Man of the Shroud, and why does he continue to fascinate so many people?

Father Rafael Pascual: I’ll give my personal answer, but I believe each person must find their own along the journey through the exhibition. Personally, I am convinced — as are many other scholars, among whom I would like to mention Monsignor Giulio Ricci, to whom we owe a great deal — that the Man of the Shroud is Jesus. That is why I am committed to making it known. I believe there are more than sufficient indications to support this claim. However, paraphrasing the philosopher Blaise Pascal, there is enough light for those who wish to see and enough shadow for those who do not. I believe this “chiaroscuro” is precisely why the Shroud continues to fascinate and fuel debate. It is a question mark that challenges anyone who observes and contemplates it.

Emanuela Campanile: The exhibition is currently housed in the Basilica of Sant’Andrea della Valle here in Rome. What kind of experience does it offer visitors?

Father Rafael Pascual: It offers an investigative experience. The path unfolds across 24 panels covering various topics: it begins with a general presentation of the cloth’s characteristics to aid in reading it, then moves through its history and the traces left over the centuries, up to the scientific discoveries that began with the first photographs. Finally, there is a parallel comparison between the Shroud and the passages of the Passion as narrated in the Gospels. A theological and spiritual dimension could not be missing, therefore. As Saint John Paul II said, the Shroud is both a “provocation to the intellect” and a “mirror of the Gospel.” These are two sides of the same coin.

Sister Emanuela: The Shroud of Turin is one of the most studied objects in the world. Father Pascual, what are the questions that remain open today?

Father Rafael Pascual: The primary question concerns the formation of the image. What we see is a very faint yet evident front and back imprint, bearing wounds that faithfully correspond to the Passion of Jesus. Thanks to the many studies carried out, we know with certainty how it was not formed: it has been demonstrated that it is not a painting, not a burn, nor a print or a refinement.

We still do not know how an image with such unique characteristics came to be: its extraordinary superficiality, the orthogonal projection of the body, the relationship between intensity and distance, and the fact that it behaves like a monochromatic photographic negative.

Another open question concerns history and dating. I must touch on the famous Carbon-14 issue of 1988, whose results indicated a medieval origin (1260–1390). However, the reliability of those tests has been called into question by more recent studies, both statistical — such as those of Professor Marco Riani — and documentary. Through analysis of the raw laboratory data, published in 2019 by Casabianca, Marinelli, Pernagallo, and Torrisi, significant irregularities emerged. Those results are today more than debatable, so the question remains open.

Emanuela Campanile: In what way does technology help the public better understand what we see in this exhibition?

Father Rafael Pascual: Technology helps enormously. In a fast-moving world, the Shroud not only holds its ground but keeps pace with technological progress. It is curious to note how technology has not disproven it, but rather renewed interest in it. As early as 1898, the first photographs revealed that the image behaves like a photographic negative, opening seasons of wide-ranging scientific research. Another fundamental discovery was the three-dimensional information encoded in the image. Using the VP8 analyzer — a tool used for spatial topography — it was found that the image of the Shroud is consistent with three-dimensionality, something impossible for a normal photograph. These discoveries must be shared so people can understand how science has not yet found a definitive explanation.

Sister Emanuela: Father, are there particular elements that strike scholars most when they analyze the image of the Man of the Shroud?

Father Rafael Pascual: Certainly. The peculiar characteristics of the image itself are striking — distinct from the bloodstains, water marks, or burns from the fire at Chambéry in 1532. What is surprising is that the intensity of the image is due to a greater number of superficial linen fibrils that have darkened through a kind of accelerated aging, caused by a phenomenon of oxidation and dehydration. There is no varying degree of darkening: the color is the same, only the density of the affected fibrils changes, somewhat like a halftone screen. How was this possible? That is the great question scientists are still unable to answer.

A question I often hear from visitors is: why so much suffering? Why this kind of relentless treatment of someone whom Pilate himself recognized as innocent? An answer can be found in the Bible, in the Song of the Suffering Servant in Isaiah: “He has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows; he was wounded for our transgressions, and by his stripes we are healed.” This is the reading one can give to the mystery of the suffering of the most innocent person in the world.

Emanuela Campanile: Saint John Paul II described the Shroud as “the mirror of the Gospel.” In what way does this definition help us understand it?

Father Rafael Pascual:

It is the mirror of the Gospel because in it we see reflected and imprinted what the Gospels recount concisely about the Passion: the scourging, the crown of thorns, the crucifixion, the Way of the Cross. On the shoulders of the image, lacerations can be seen caused by a heavy object pressing against the wounds from the scourging, as well as knees injured from falls. We also see post-mortem events: the wound in the side, and the Shroud itself — the term used by the Synoptics for the cloth purchased by Joseph of Arimathea for the burial. John recounts that on Easter Sunday, entering the tomb, he saw those cloths and believed. The Shroud helped him in that passage of faith.

Sister Emanuela: What was the main objective in designing this exhibition curated by the Pontifical Athenaeum Regina Apostolorum?

Father Rafael Pascual: The objective is to make this extraordinary relic known — one I consider the most important in Christianity alongside the Holy Cross. Paradoxically, it is still little known. Many people ask us: “Why didn’t you tell us about this before?” We are trying to remedy this lack of information through traveling exhibitions and initiatives such as the “Diffuse Exposition,” launched last year for the Jubilee. We have brought copies of the Shroud to more than 200 locations in Italy and around the world. In the face of such a great gift that the Lord has left us, we cannot remain silent.

Emanuela Campanile: How important is it that the exhibition takes place in a place of faith like the Basilica of Sant’Andrea della Valle, rather than simply in a museum?

Father Rafael Pascual: It is the most appropriate setting. While museums are valid, a church offers an environment of prayer and contemplation. Ideally, the exhibition should conclude right before the Lord truly present in the Eucharist. At Sant’Andrea della Valle, the exhibition is in the right side chapel, while on the opposite side is the chapel with the tabernacle. This allows visitors to move from contemplating the image to praying before the Risen Lord.

Sister Emanuela: Father Pascual, if you were to leave one question in the hearts of visitors, which would you choose?

Father Rafael Pascual: The question with which we conclude the exhibition’s journey, which is the same as in the Gospel: “Who do you say that I am?” It is a personal question addressed to each individual, and I hope everyone will ask it of themselves.

Emanuela Campanile: Let us also mention the hours and details for visiting the exhibition.

Father Rafael Pascual: The exhibition opened on March 3rd and will remain open until May 19th at the Basilica of Sant’Andrea della Valle. It can be visited every day, including Sundays, from 9:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. with no midday break. The Basilica is in a very central and easily accessible location. I truly hope there will be many visitors.

Sister Emanuela: Thank you, Father, for being with us. We hope many people will be able to have this profound experience.

Father Rafael Pascual: Thank you for the opportunity to share all of this. Good afternoon.

Emanuela Campanile: You have just heard the interview with Father Rafael Pascual. Today’s topic — or rather, today’s topics — were very interesting. If you would like to keep following us, we’ll be back next Wednesday. From Emanuela Campanile and Sister Emanuela, goodbye.