Saint John Paul II National Shrine to host exhibit on the Shroud of Turin during Lent

CNA Staff, Feb 11, 2025 / 16:50 pm

Beginning on March 5, the first day of Lent, and running through Easter Sunday, April 20, the Saint John Paul II National Shrine in Washington, D.C., will host an exhibit called “‘Lord, You Could Not Love Me More!’: Saint John Paul II and the Shroud of Turin.”

The exhibit is a response to the beloved saint’s call for greater understanding of and devotion to the shroud — the burial cloth that many believe was used to wrap the body of Christ after his crucifixion. 

During a visit to the shroud in 1998 in Turin, Italy, Pope John Paull II said: “The shroud does not hold people’s hearts to itself but turns them to him, at whose service the Father’s loving providence has put it. Therefore, it is right to foster an awareness of the precious value of this image, which everyone sees and no one at present can explain.” 

“For every thoughtful person it is a reason for deep reflection, which can even involve one’s life,” he added. “The shroud is thus a truly unique sign that points to Jesus, the true word of the Father, and invites us to pattern our lives on the life of the One who gave himself for us.” 

The exhibit will help visitors encounter the mystery of the shroud, its movement in history, the scientific research done to prove its authenticity, and the faithful devotion to all that the shroud reveals about salvation. 

The exhibit will also include a replica of the Shroud of Turin on loan from the National Shroud of Turin Exhibit, over 30 gallery panels containing images and text, and a sculpture called “The Sign,” which renders a life-size 3D image of the man of the shroud.

Dr. Gilbert Lavoie, a medical expert on the study of the shroud and author of “The Shroud of Jesus: And the Sign John Ingeniously Concealed,” collaborated with sculptor Pablo Eduardo to create the sculpture, which is based on Lavoie’s research.

Lavoie’s current research on the sculpture will also be profiled in the exhibit. 

Opening the exhibit during Lent is meant to encourage visitors to more fully participate in the repentance and conversion associated with the penitential season, which John Paul II touched on during his 1998 visit. 

“Contemplation of that tortured body helps contemporary man to free himself from the superficiality of the selfishness with which he frequently treats love and sin. Echoing the word of God and centuries of Christian consciousness, the shroud whispers: Believe in God’s love, the greatest treasure given to humanity, and flee from sin, the greatest misfortune in history,” the saint said. 

In a press release, Anthony Picarello, executive director of the shrine, said the exhibit “resonates so deeply” with St. John Paul II’s legacy.

“It illustrates how human beings can approach the deepest mysteries fruitfully with faith and reason together, how the human body can express the most radical love, and — especially during Lent — the power of redemptive suffering.” 

The shrine’s director of mission and ministry, Grattan Brown, added: “In his pilgrimages to shrines around the world, St. John Paul II often observed that shrines are places where people can step away from their busy lives to deepen their spiritual connection to God. The Shroud of Turin, which may be the burial cloth of Jesus, connects us with Jesus’ crucifixion and resurrection, God’s most loving gift for humanity. It is a joy for the St. John Paul II National Shrine to offer this exhibit so that our pilgrims may experience God’s mercy during Lent.”