The Shroud of Turin, the reputed burial shroud of Jesus.
Church authorities in Turin condemned plans by an order of monks to sell 3D glasses to pilgrims viewing the Holy Shroud when it goes on display for six weeks after Easter, The London Times reported Wednesday.
According to Bruno Fabbiani, an expert at Turin Polytechnic in holograph technology and printed images, the 3D glasses will enable pilgrims to see details invisible to the naked eye, such as the wounds on the figure of the man on the linen cloth.
The Turin Shroud is held by many to be the burial cloth of Jesus Christ but regarded by skeptics as a medieval forgery.
The commission in charge of the shroud, comprising church and Turin officials, said in a statement that “the sale of special glasses for the three dimensional viewing of details on the shroud” was “an exclusively commercial initiative” that it did not support or promote in anyway.
It said that it had already engaged “experts in illumination” to ensure that pilgrims had “the best view possible” of the cloth and the image imprinted on it, which “cannot be improved with artificial aids."
In an enthusiastic article on the subject in its journal, The World of the Bible, the Salesian order said that it would sell the glasses at €2 ($2.50) a pair in its Turin bookshop. Father Moreno Filipetto, of the Salesians, said that this was “not commercialization," saying, “We are simply interested in Professor Fabbiani’s research.”
For more information, see the Times of London.
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