Pope Benedict XVI Visits Veronica's Veil

On Friday, September, 1, 2006, Pope Benedict XVI became the first Pope in history to visit the sacred shroud of St. Veronica, who wiped the face of Jesus while He was carrying His Cross to Golgatha. In this part of His Most Sacred Passion, St. Veronica, seeing Jesus' face dripping with sweat and blood, took a cloth and wiped His precious face. And, Our Lord left His Sacred imprint impressed upon the cloth.

That cloth supposedly remains to today, and it was venerated by Pope Benedict XVI last Friday. The Sacred Image is known as the "Sacred Visage". Critics claim that the image does not exist, but the fact that this image has lasted since at least the 12th Century, is quite remarkable. It has been in Manoppello since 1506. The cloth measures 17 by 24 cm and bears a great resemblance to the Shroud of Turin, believed to be Christ's burial cloth.

Pope Benedict XVI arrived in the village of Manoppello, Italy, and he was greeted by a few thousand pilgrims. The Holy Father prayed before the altar for about five minutes before going behind it to pray before the Sacred Image. Pope Benedict XVI said, “This is the reason for my visit. So that together we can try to better know the face of our Lord, so that from it we can find strength in love and peace that can show us the path.”

Photos:

Source: REUTERS/Giuseppe Cacace/Pool (ITALY)

Source: REUTERS/Giuseppe Cacace/Pool (ITALY)

Source: AFP/POOL/Max Rossi