Scientists in Italy have reliably established the authenticity of the Turin Shroud

On the eve of Easter, Italian scientists have for the first time reliably established the authenticity of the Turin shroud, which Jesus Christ was wrapped in after his crucifixion. On April 18, scientists told for the first time how an end was put to a centuries-old dispute.

Ever since the discovery of the shroud, there have been discussions in the West about its authenticity. On Good Friday, the skeptics' doubts were dispelled: a unique study confirmed that the shrine is indeed more than 2 thousand years old. A research institute with a laboratory in the Italian city of Bari has shed light on one of the most intimate Christian mysteries. Cinzia Giannini, Director of the Institute, told us what work the scientists had done.

"This is all the equipment that we used to study the threads hidden inside the fibers of the fabric from which the Shroud of Turin was woven," Giannini showed, demonstrating a special unit for analysis.

The famous relic, a fragment of ancient fabric that preserved particles of the blood of Christ, was illuminated by an X—ray beam from the center of the device.

"We can conclude that the Shroud of Turin has a two-thousand-year history. This is the result obtained using a new X-ray technique that makes it possible to date samples. The shroud is authentic and it really had the body of Jesus of Nazareth on it at the time of his burial," researcher Liberato De Caro told Izvestia correspondent Vitaly Chashchukhin.

The scientists themselves believed even more strongly that they actually had literally a "particle of God" in their hands. Now they plan to add a digital copy to the existing physical copy of the shroud, in order to bring young people to the church, at least using the Internet.

For more information, see the Final Program with Pyotr Marchenko, which will air on REN TV on Sunday, April 20, at 23:00.

Easter Cry: how much did Russians spend on preparing for the holiday

The demand for cakes, eggs, and dyes has doubled or tripled.

Earlier in the day, a correspondent from Izvestia on April 18 told how preparations were being made for Easter celebrations in Bari. Pilgrims from Russia, despite the difficulties with obtaining visas and the lack of direct flights, were able to reach the Italian city where the relics of one of the most revered saints in Russia, Nicholas the Wonderworker, are kept to celebrate the main Orthodox holiday there.