TURIN, 10 April 2010 – The Holy Shroud Exhibition has officially started today with the Holy Mass celebrated in the afternoon by Cardinal Severino Poletto and the bishops of Piemonte and Valle d’Aosta diocesis at the Cathedral of Turin. (the text of the homily is enclosed). This is the first display in the third Millennium.

 

Earlier in the day, doors were open to host the visits of the authorities, the journalists and the over 4.000 volunteers who will support the organization and logistics of the Holy Shroud Exhibition until 23 May 2010. The first personalities attending the morning preview were: Sergio Marchionne, Managing Director of the Fiat Group; the heads of local institutions with Sergio Chiamparino, Major of Turin; Antonio Saitta, President of the Province of Turin; Roberto Cota, newly elected President of Piemonte Region and, on behalf of the Government, Mino Giachino, Transport Undersecretary, Michelino Davico, Undersecretary of the Interior, Giancarlo Caselli, Chief Prosecutor of Turin.

 

Cardinal Poletto reminded the visitors that the Holy Shroud Exhibition is a spiritual initiative. The Shroud’s Pontifical Custodian said: “The benefits that will be provided by the Holy Shroud Exhibition are the spiritual conversion and the help offered to the others. If this display is able to ameliorate the social and civil life of the city, it means we will have received the greatest Grace.” Cardinal Poletto called upon the politicians to “put aside partisan differences, look together at the problems of the people and work together for the common good.”

 

Cardinal Poletto highlighted that the difficult economic period has also influenced the Holy Shroud Exhibition; “The expenses for its organization, compared to the ones incurred in 2000 for the Jubilee display, decreased by 50%.”. “Fortunately,”added the Archbishop of Turin, “the number of sponsors involved in 2010 have increased compared to 10 years ago.”

 

The visits of the first pilgrims started at 6.30 p.m.: over 12.000 people, (12.140), out of which about 480 from abroad. The number of visits booked has almost reached 1.5 million. At 1 p.m. the visits booked turned out being 1.473.561, out of which 93% from Italy divided as follows: 590.000 from Piemonte Region, 286.000 from Lombardia, 80.000 from Lazio, 73.000 from Veneto, 63.000 from Emilia Romagna, 29.000 from Puglia, 16.500 from Sicilia. As for the visitors coming from abroad, there are almost 60.000 reservations from Wester Europe countries (22.000 from France, 12.000 from Germany, 9.000 from Spain, 7.000 from Sweden); 30.000 from Eastern Europe (10.000 from Poland, 7.000 from Russia); 13.000 from the American Continent (9.000 from the United States and over 1.000 from Mexico); about 2.000 from Asia; some visits were booked from Africa and Oceania.