"The Shroud: A Challenge to the Intellect"

“The Shroud: A Challenge to the Intellect”
Mary Help of Christians Basilica in Turin will host 4th Symposium on the Holy Shroud

(ANS – Turin, Italy – August 5, 2026) – As has been the custom for several years now, Mary Help of Christians Basilica in Turin will host the symposium dedicated to the Shroud on September 14 – or a date close to it – which this year marks its 4th edition. Since September 14 this year falls on a Monday, the event has been brought forward to Saturday, September 12.

The date September  14 holds particular significance for at least 3 reasons:

• it’s the liturgical feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross, to which the basilica’s crypt is dedicated; it houses 2 fragments (10×17 cm) of the wood of the Cross of Jesus, now placed on the high altar.
• it’s the anniversary of the opening of the crypt, which took place in 1934, also known as the Chapel of the Relics.
• September 14, 1578, is the most widely accepted date for the arrival of the Shroud in Turin.

The overarching theme of the 2026 Symposium is “The Shroud: a challenge to the intellect,” an expression used by St. John Paul II during his visit to Turin on May 24, 1998, and one that remains highly relevant today. The Holy Father also recalled that “the Church entrusts to scientists the task of continuing to investigate in order to find adequate answers to the questions connected with this Shroud which, according to tradition, is said to have wrapped the body of our Redeemer when he was taken down from the cross.”

With this in mind, Don Bosco’s basilica will have the pleasure of hosting several distinguished speakers.

Following a welcome address by the host, the rector of the Shrine of Mary Help of Christians, Fr. Michele Viviano, the symposium will be opened by Prof. Emanuela Marinelli, recipient of the Gold Medal for Merit in Catholic Culture and author of numerous books on the Shroud, who will present an up-to-date summary of the current debate.

The keynote address of the evening will be delivered by Dr. Tristan Casabianca, a French researcher whose investigations into the Shroud – published in international academic journals (Archaeometry, The Heythrop Journal, Theology and Science) – have led him to challenge the validity of the 1988 carbon-14 dating. The professor is a member of the Scientific Council of the Centre International d’Études sur le Linceul de Turin and of the board of the Shroud of Turin Education and Research Association. The title of his talk will be: “Can we date the Shroud? The most recent scientific investigations.”

The event will be concluded by Prof. Bruno Barberis, professor of mathematical physics at the University of Turin and vice president of the Confraternita del SS. Sudario, who will share his reflections on the subject.

The fascinating mystery of the Shroud will thus once again be examined and explored in depth at the Salesian motherhouse in Turin, on a date of great significance for the entire Catholic community, the people of Turin, and the Salesian community of Valdocco.