By Diann Calucin
Fifty years after the Shroud of Turin was first exhibited in the Philippines, a larger exhibition featuring a full-size replica of the famed cloth, relics associated with Christ’s Passion, and other religious artifacts will open at the Manila Cathedral in Intramuros this October.
The Shroud of Turin Exhibit at The Manila Cathedral will formally open on Oct. 2, with public viewing scheduled from Oct. 3 to 16.
Organized by the Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulchre of Jerusalem (EOHSJ) Lieutenancy for the Philippines, the exhibition marks five decades since the Shroud was first brought to the country in 1976 with the imprimatur of then Manila Archbishop Jaime Cardinal Sin.
At the heart of the exhibit is a full-size replica of the Shroud of Turin, the centuries-old linen cloth bearing the faint image of a man who appears to have been tortured and crucified.
For centuries, many Christians have believed the man depicted on the cloth to be Jesus Christ.
The Shroud, however, has also remained one of Christianity’s most studied and debated artifacts, with questions surrounding its origin and the formation of its mysterious image continuing to draw the interest of historians, scientists and believers.
The original Shroud is kept in Turin, Italy, and is only displayed to the public on rare occasions.
Visitors to the Manila Cathedral will instead see a full-size replica that, according to the organizers, has the same dimensions as the original and retains its photonegative characteristics.
The replica was also blessed by Pope Benedict XVI in 2011 and Pope Francis in 2015, the organizers said.
But the October exhibition will offer more than the image on the cloth.
Among its highlights is a full-size sculpture of the “Man of the Shroud,” carved from baticulin wood by Filipino artist Reden Ballesteros and specially commissioned for the exhibition by the EOHSJ Philippine Lieutenancy.
The sculpture presents the body and wounds seen on the image of the Shroud, giving visitors a three-dimensional interpretation of the man depicted on the linen.
The exhibit will also feature the Arma Christi Reliquary, which contains relics that organizers identify as being associated with the life, Passion and death of Jesus, as well as relics of the Twelve Apostles and other saints.
Other displays will focus on images of the Holy Face of Jesus and relics associated with saints whose lives and spirituality were connected with devotion to the Holy Face.
For the faithful, the exhibition will also offer an opportunity for prayer and reflection.
Organizers said visitors may have the opportunity to obtain a plenary indulgence through the Arma Christi Reliquary, subject to the conditions prescribed by the Catholic Church.
A return 50 years in the making
The 2026 exhibit also carries a distinctly Philippine story.
The first Shroud of Turin exhibition in the country was held in 1976 and became a significant moment in the development of the Holy Face devotion in the Philippines.
Among those connected with the earlier exhibit was Mother Maria Elisabetta Patrizi, founder of the Franciscan Family of Mary Immaculate, who accompanied Msgr. Giulio Ricci to Manila.
Ricci, then a Vatican archivist and a pioneering researcher in sindonology, the study of the Shroud of Turin, delivered a lecture during the opening of the 1976 exhibition.
Five decades later, the upcoming exhibit will once again bring a Shroud expert from abroad to Manila.
Fr. Joseph Spence of the Franciscan Family of Mary Immaculate, a priest and professor at the Pontifical Athenaeum Regina Apostolorum in Rome, is expected to deliver a lecture on the Shroud on Oct. 2 for invited guests.
The 2026 exhibition is also being mounted with the participation of the Missionary Sisters of the Holy Face of Jesus, whose congregation traces part of its history to the Holy Face devotion that grew in the Philippines following the earlier Shroud exhibition.
The Shroud of Turin Exhibit at The Manila Cathedral will formally open on Oct. 2, with public viewing scheduled from Oct. 3 to 16.
