KAZAKHSTAN: Maltese Shroud of Turin makes religious milestone
A historic replica of the Turin Shroud is the star attraction of a ground-breaking ecumenical event that has just opened in Kazakhstan.
The Shroud of Rabat – an exact copy made in the seventeenth century – is the centrepiece of an international exhibition on the Turin Shroud that opened on Friday (1st August) in the capital Astana.
The exposition at the Palace of Peace and Reconciliation, a centre dedicated to promoting inter-faith understanding, also contains displays describing scientific and historical investigations into the original relic, as well as an immersive audio-visual experience.
The exhibition is an initiative of the Catholic and Orthodox Churches in Kazakhstan.
Attending the opening ceremony were religious and political figures including Senate President Maulen Ashimbayev, Culture Minister Aida Balaeva, Eastern Orthodox Metropolitan Alexander of Astana and Kazakhstan and Roman Catholic Archbishop Tomasz Peta of Maria Santissima in Astana.
Metropolitan Alexander said: “The Shroud of Turin, also known as the ‘Fifth Gospel,’ remains a source of faith and study for millions worldwide”.
Representing Catholic charity Aid to the Church in Need (ACN), which was involved in organising the exhibition, were its International Executive President Regina Lynch and Kazakhstan Section Head Peter Humeniuk.
Ms Lynch said: “The Shroud of Turin is one of the most deeply studied objects in the Christian world.
“Being able to help bring it to Kazakhstan is an honour and an opportunity for ACN to strengthen interreligious dialogue.”
The Rabat Shroud – which is so called because it is kept at the Collegiate Parish Church of Rabat in Malta – was bought to the island in the 1670s or very early 1680s.
A letter, written the year after it was created, by Archbishop Michael Beyamus of Turin, records the Shroud of Rabat was crafted on 15th May 1662 “when the Most Sacred Shroud in which the Most Sacred Body of Christ had been placed by Joseph of Arimathea (which without any doubt is kept in our Metropolitan Church in the Royal Chapel) was being shown to the large number of people frequenting the church in the presence of the King of the State of Savoy”.
Open to everyone regardless of belief, the exhibition in Kazakhstan seeks to promote respect and peace among the different religious communities in the Muslim-majority country.