WHERE IS BOASTING? by W. N. G.

Pacific Press Publishing Company · Oakland, California · Aug 25, 1898

FromSigns of the Times, Vol. 24, No. 33.

“WHERE IS BOASTING?”

By W. N. G.

This is the nineteenth century, and these are the United States. It is not necessary to call attention to the proverbial boastings about the advancing civilization and the growing brilliancy of the enlightenment of this age, and especially of this country. That is patent to the majority of people. But the following extracts from an article in the Catholic Mirror, probably the most American of Catholic journals, speak for themselves:—

Much interest has lately been excited by the permission given a photographer to reproduce for the first time the sacred Winding Sheet, in which the body of Christ was wrapped when taken from the cross, and prepared for burial in the holy sepulcher.

This precious relic has for many years been preserved in the Cathedral of Turin, and at intervals exposed to general veneration. The last occasion of its exhibition to the general public was at the great exhibition held in Turin from May 23 to June 2, and it was then the ecclesiastical authorities were prevailed on to allow photographs to be taken of the sacred sheet.

The first copy, printed on fine linen, brought to this country, is to be presented to His Eminence, Cardinal Gibbons. . .

The facsimiles reproduce on a small scale the original with faithful exactness and display the rich embroidery design which incloses the original. There are three of these sheets in existence, the one which is at the Cathedral of Turin and the others at the Cathedrals of Compiegne and Besancon, France.

The winding cloths kept in the Cathedrals of Compiegne and Besancon, in France, do not impair the genuineness of this, as the Gospel itself is authority for the statement that when the apostles entered the sepulcher, they found ‘linen cloths lying on the floor.’ . . .

An account of the winding sheet says that it presents a distinct semblance of the Redeemer after the lapse of centuries. This semblance is reproduced in the facsimiles, which were prepared with ecclesiastical approval.

Thirty years have passed since it was previously seen by the public. It was shown on the occasion of the marriage, in 1868, of Prince, now King, Humbert with the Princess Margaret.

It is known as the most holy “Sindone”—the word used in the Latin Gospels for a winding sheet. There are stains of the blood of Christ and of the ointments which were used for His burial, and which form faint figures of the back and the face of the body which it enwrapped.

It was photographed by electric light. When the plate was put into the bath, and the photograph began to develop, a strange fact became evident. There appeared on the plate what is described as “the perfect and complete design of the sacred face, of the hands, of the limbs, as if, instead of depicting the sheet in which it was wrapped, the divine Martyr was depicted directly. The Sindone was then an exact negative, although apparently undecipherable, of the bleeding corpse which had been placed within it.” This strange impression of Our Lord’s body on the Winding Sheet was never noticed before. It may have been there, but it was too indistinct and faint to be perceived by the naked eye. . .

The dimensions of the sheet are: length about 9 feet, and breadth about 3 feet, and the semblance of the Redeemer is about 5 feet 6 inches long.

Mr. Schiaffino has secured from the fortunate photographer the exclusive rights to any reproduction of the photograph in this country. He has made arrangements with the Catholic Mirror to act as his agents.

The foregoing is a sample of the superstition of probably the most advanced section of the church which has a greater direct influence with this government than any other religious body or combination. It is the only religious organization that has influence enough to maintain diplomatic relations with the government, and secure political concessions. This the Roman Church has been able to do under the administrations of both the great political parties, yet it is under the influence of such vagaries as here cited from its leading American organ. Surely there is little room for boasting over past ages, or of the future prospects of religious liberty in the United States. W. N. G.