What is believed to be Christ’s burial cloth, the Turin shroud, is going on display at the Turin Cathedral until May 23. Pope Benedict XVI will pray before the shroud on May 2nd, although the Catholic church does not necessarily claim the shroud is the original burial cloth of Jesus. Carbon dating tests over the years have thrown doubts onto the period of the cloth’s origin, although Italian Catholics and the faithful around the world still hold it as a symbol of Christ’s passion.

The shroud has been housed in the Turin Cathedral since 1578, apart from a brief period in World War II when it was hidden in the Montevergine Monastery after fears that the Nazis would steal the shroud and keep it as a symbol of their power. Like many religious relics, the shroud has a chequered history, being partly destroyed in a fire in 1572. The last carbon dating tests were carried out in 1999, a slight restoration of the cloth took place in 2002, and in 2009 faint text was found on the cloth that is believed to be the remnants of a death certificate.

While viewing the shroud is free, you should book online by going to the Holy Shroud website. Over two million people are expected to visit the shroud, with 1.5 million bookings already made. Visits are open until 10:15 pm to facilitate more visits, and the Turin Duomo opening hours have been extended to include Fridays. In total, a visit lasts one hour with three to five minutes of viewing time for the shroud itself.

Source | ItalyMag

Continue reading: The Holy Shroud of Turin goes on display

I always thought popes would go on sabbatical-like holidays. You know the kind - where you go and meditate in Assisi for a few weeks before getting back to your busy papal duties. But it seems popes enjoy seaside and mountain locations as much as the rest of us, and this year Pope Benedict XVI will spend some time in the mountains in Veneto.

The Bishop of Bolzano and Bressanone, Karl Golser, has announced that instead of passing his holidays at Isarco, in Bressanone, the Pope will instead go to Lorenzago di Cadore in Belluno, in the Dolomites area of Veneto. The Bishop has released a statement saying “For us what counts is that the Holy Father can spend a relaxing time, regardless of the location.”

You’d think that was the least someone could say in knowing their town has been passed over by the Pope for somewhere else. Despite that, the issue surrounding the papal holiday has appeared in local press, although it is the eighth time the Pope has chosen Lorenzago for his summer holidays. You can imagine the preparations, although the Castello Mirabello has already hosted Benedict XVI back in 2007, and prior, even had the honour of hosting John Paul II.

Continue reading: The Pope on holiday: Lorenzago di Cadore hosts Pope Benedict XVI

Dan Brown’s book, the Da Vinci Code, has got nothing on Dr. Stephen Haliczer’s game, Vatican: The Board Game. In a game that will test your theological and doctrincal knowledge, players attempt to reach the top of the Vatican to be ordained as Pope. The game takes events from the previous papal term, with strange and bizarre circumstances, and tests the players currently at cardinal level, who aspire to the top job.

Moral and theological issues are tackled, including contraception, celibacy, stem cell research, theological censorship, and the politics of beatification. Jucier aspects like the sin of gluttony and temptation, represented by a banquet dinner with cannelloni, also appear. The website for the game describes it thus:

Vatican is a fascinating way for all to understand a central point of Catholic identity, and will appeal to a wide variety of audiences, whatever their religious preferences… It is sophisticated, filled with nuance that makes replays as enjoyable as the first time you play it. For teachers, it’s a powerful educational tool – for a gathering of friends, it’s a stimulating experience. Vatican, historically accurate, is more compelling than the depictions of the Catholic Church in popular culture. Reality and truth are always more interesting than fiction.

For more information, you can also go to the dedicated Facebook Vatican game page.

Continue reading: Become a Pope with "Vatican: The Board Game"

Italian inventions take it to the next level with an automatic holy water dispenser for churches. The traditional holy water font into which Catholics dip their fingers to bless themselves will be replaced in some churches in Italy, particularly in light of swine flu concerns.

The automatic holy water font, much like those equipped with a sensor that can be found in public bathrooms, has been designed by Luciano Marabrese for hygiene reasons. Milan’s Duomo had already banned the use of water fonts, and Italy is experiencing a significant outbreak of swine flu (though there isn’t necessarily a link between swine flu and the use of water fonts in churches).

The automatic holy water font has been trialled at Fornaci di Briosco church in the Brianza district near Milan, and once accepted by Italian Catholics, has been successful. Marabrese says he has been swamped by orders, though I can’t wait to see how they’re going to establish this in Italy’s many churches. Next stop the Vatican?

Source | ItalyMag
Photo | Flickr

Continue reading: Automatic holy water font designed: Italy's churches battle swine flu

US President Barack Obama is set to meet Pope Benedict XVI in what is set to be an interesting meeting on July 10th. Obama is currently under fire in the US for his pro-abortion stance, though any discussion with the Pope is likely to be far more wide ranging than that.

Obama will be in Italy for the G8 summit to be held in the earthquake-stricken town of Aquila in Abruzzo. He will have an afternoon audience with the Pope that goes against tradition, but it shows that the two leaders are keen to meet and follows the personal note from the Pontiff on Obama’s election victory.

It will be a controversial visit with American bishops anti-Obama for the said abortion stance, while the Vatican seems to have been more accommodating, expressing an open opportunity for the US president and Pope to meet. Curiously, in America itself, Obama received a majority of Catholic votes, particularly from the Hispanic community.

Source | ABC Local

Continue reading: Obama to meet Pope in Italy

The Vatican has issued its priests with a notice saying that confession is not a therapy session, and that Catholics need to be reminded of what sin is about.

In an interview with Vatican radio, an official at the Vatican office of clergy has said, “An ever decreasing number of people see a clear difference between good and evil, between truth and lies and between sin and virtue, and therefore fewer are taking confession.”

Archbishop Mauro Piacenza has revealed that both priests and the faithful need to re-evaluate their confession practices, to avoid confession becoming a “psychiatrist’s couch”. Figures show that 40 percent of Italian Catholics go to confession, while 55 percent of American Catholics do.

Source | The Guardian

Photo | Flickr

Continue reading: Church in Italy: Priests to get handbooks on sin