| The Holy Shroud keeps attracting people’s interest, still today,
four months after the exposition ended. Even people from far away countries, such as
Scandinavia, are interested in (knowing more about) it. In March prof. Giorgio Colombo,
director of the Italian Cultural Institute at the Helsinki Italian embassy, proposed me to
give some lectures on the Shroud in Finland. It was not possible to organize the event
during the period of the exposition of the Shroud, so we postponed it to the end of
September. In the meanwhile Giuseppina Zaccherin, director of the same institute in
Copenhagen, decided to join us. It was the first time that a member of the International
Center of Sindonology had been invited to lecture on the Shroud in a Scandinavian country.
The event became popular also among Italian scholars. This experience was certainly
positive: hardly could I forget the warm welcome and hospitality I was given. Most of all,
I could never forget the interest the audience showed during my lectures.
At least one hundred people were in the conference room at the Italian Cultural
Institute in Copenhagen. In Finland (Helsinki and Turku) we had an average of 50
participants, sometimes more. The numerous and interesting questions that rose after the
meetings showed how deep the interest of most of the participants was. We should remember
that the majority of the population in Denmark and Finland is Lutheran, and Catholics are
but a small minority.
Nobody should be surprised to know that a large number of people from many countries,
different religions, backgrounds, and sometimes even atheists are interested in the
Shroud. Often in the past, and especially during the last exposition, we have been
witnessing this attitude. I was really surprised about the success our lectures had in
Scandinavia; probably my feelings were caused by the difficulties we have always had in
the dialog with the protestant communities in Torino.
Pastor Milkka Ruokanen, professor of dogmatic theology, invited us to give a conference
at the faculty of theology, and the meeting resulted very significant, indeed. About a
hundred students of theology were in the audience, they were very interested in the
history of the linen and, most of all, they were eager to learn more about the latest
studies and tests run on the Shroud.
I had an idea in my heart, and it was confirmed by the events that took place during my
trip. I had heard somebody saying that the Shroud speaks to every man and woman, beyond
bonds of race and religion, and during my trip this turned out to be true. I have no doubt
saying that every pilgrim who saw the Shroud last spring has become spiritually more
mature. They will hardly forget that uncanny figure, that speaks so eloquently to the man
of the third millennium. This is the reason why I perfectly agree with Mechtild
Flury-Lemberg (the Swiss Lutheran expert who sew the Shroud on its new support before the
exposition) when she defines the Shroud as "a precious instrument that can help the
ecumenical dialog". The Shroud is there, in front of every man, no exceptions are
made. We must not let its precious message be wasted. This will be the main challenge for
the exposition of the year 2000.
Bruno Barberis
Centro di Sindonologia |
