Turin, Italy, May 24, 2010 / 09:30 am
The first exposition of the Shroud of Turin in the new millennium has officially come to a close after a little more than six weeks. Cardinal Severino Poletto, the guardian of the Shroud, said that those who visited need to safeguard in their hearts everything they saw and received that enriched their faith.
From April 10 to May 23, the Shroud was seen by more than 2.1 million pilgrims, according to the final count. Cardinal Archbishop of Turin Severino Poletto reflected on the significance of the occasion at the end of the exposition while offering the closing Mass along with bishops and priests of the Italian Piedmont region.
The event was organized "to give the possibility to all who would come to venerate it and experience the gift that is received when one enters into the symphony of faith and prayer with the sufferings of Christ, which are the 'master way' for participating also in the grace of his resurrection," Cardinal Poletto said at the beginning of Mass.
“(W)hat has been accomplished in the six weeks of the Exposition and the Eucharist we are celebrating is our thanksgiving for having the privilege to see the marvels that the Lord has brought about with his salvific activity in the hearts of the people," the cardinal said.