TURIN SHROUD ON DISPLAY FROM APRIL TO MAY

TURIN SHROUD ON DISPLAY FROM APRIL TO MAY

(ANSA) - Rome, November 17 - The Turin shroud, revered by many as the holiest relic of Christ, will be placed on public display from April to May, for the first time since 2000, the Italian Bishops Council (CEI) said on Tuesday.

Believers say the shroud wrapped the body of Jesus Christ after his crucifixion.

Pope Benedict XVI has never commented on the authenticity of the relic but the Vatican has announced that he will visit Turin on May 2 to see it along with other pilgrims.

The shroud will be on display from April 10 to May 23 and thousands of pilgrims are expected to flock to the Cathedral of Saint John the Baptist, where it is kept.

The cloth bears the faint image of the front and back of a tall, long-haired, bearded man and appears to be stained by blood from wounds in his feet, wrists and side.

Church sources said Benedict gave his personal approval to displaying the Shroud 15 years ahead of its previously scheduled viewing for the Catholic Church's 2025 Jubilee.

It will be the first time that the Shroud has been put on display since its controversial restoration in 2002

Whether the Shroud's haunting image is holy or counterfeit remains one of the great mysteries of all time.

Experts have never been able to explain how the image was made.