Pope Francis visits the Holy Shroud

On June 21st-22nd Pope Francis will visit Turin to venerate the Holy Shroud, currently exposed in a crypt in Turin's most important cathedral.

On Sunday he will also celebrate a mass in the city’s main square and participate to other city events.

The Shroud, a linen cloth with an image of a face and body that many catholics believe to be used to bury Christ’s body when he was lifted down from the cross after being crucified 2000 years ago, is rarely seen by the public.

Putting it on display has arouse a long-standing controversy on its origins and image. The cloth’s dating is still the subject of an intense debate among scientists and theologists and many researchers have performed examinations on the cloth's fibers, including carbon-dating and infra-red light analysis.

The results of the most recent tests are still considered contradictory and leave open the debate about the true origins of one of Christianity's most prized but mysterious relics.