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Turin, 13 September 2000 During the week between Monday 4 September and Sunday 10 September, 77.022 pilgrims walked before the Shroud. 278.399 pilgrims have come to see the Exposition since its opening, and, in addition, about 80.000 people entered the Duomo through its main entrance to see the Shroud from afar. 67.932 people are expected to visit the Exposition of the Shroud next week, although we should remember that many reservations are usually made last minute. 669.700 reservations have been made until 4 pm of 10 September, for the whole period of the Exposition, while 69.753 reservations were made in the week from 4 to 10 September.
Pilgrims from 141 countries of the world Reservations for the Exposition keep coming also from far away countries. According to the data collected on 8 September, 77.185 foreigners (11,83% of the total number) contacted the Exposition to book a visit to the Shroud. To this number, we should add 5.000 students who went to see the Shroud in the first days of the Expositions and whose reservations were made by their Italian hosts (parishes and associations). During the Exposition of 1998, 58.829 reservations were made by foreigners. Up to date 141 foreign countries contacted the Exposition (out of 189 countries that belong to the UN). In 1998 foreign visitors came from 67 nations. The countries that made the highest number of reservations have been France (18.300 until yesterday), Poland (11.697), Spain (9.948), United States (7.869) and Germany (5.428).
VIP visitors Among the people who visited the Exposition this week we can find mons. José Câmnate na Bissign (bishop of Guissau), mons. Kamal Hanna Bathish and mons. Salim Seyeg (auxiliary bishops of Jerusalem’s Patriarch), cardinal Luigi Poggi (librarian of the Holy Roman Church), Minister of Social Solidarity Livia Turco, mons. Cesare Bonivento (bishop of Vanimo), mons. Edmond Farhat, (papal nuncio in Slovenia and in the former Yugoslavian Republic of Macedonia), mons. Marian Florczyk (auxiliary bishop of Kleice, Poland). The visit made by the auxiliaries of Jerusalem’s Patriarch On 5 September, the 6.45 am Mass in Duomo was celebrated by mons. Kamal Hanna Bathish and mons. Salim Seyeg, auxiliaries of the Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem. Afterwards, they went to see the Exposition of the Shroud and, later on, mons. Bathish met mons. Severino Poletto, archbishop of Torino. Then he gave an interview for the weekly diocesan magazine «La Voce del Popolo». Speaking about the peace process in the Middle East, the auxiliary gave a positive opinion of what has been done in the last two years, including Camp David meetings: «I dream of Jerusalem as the spiritual capital city of God, and not of a political nation», he said. When he was asked about the Shroud he confessed that «the image on the linen brings us straight in front of Jesus who was crucified and really died for us. The question of authenticity does not affect me personally, even though nobody can prove the authenticity of the Shroud, there is no certain evidence of its non-authenticity, and this is enough for me».
Comitato per l’Ostensione solenne della Sindone e per l'anno giubilare 2000 Committee for the Solemn Exposition of the Shroud and for the jubilee year 2000 Ufficio Stampa - Press Office Via XX Settembre 83 – Torino Tel. 011-521.61.67 Fax 011-460.11.82 E-MAIL: press.sindone@torino.chiesacattolica.it
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