Welcome to Vatican Insider on this Palm Sunday weekend, the start of Holy Week, a week that includes the Triduum of Holy Thursday, Good Friday and Holy Saturday, an extraordinary and privileged time in our lives as Christians for whom the Son of God came down to earth as man where, by his death and Resurrection, he redeemed us!

This week, I special I have prepared for what is normally the interview segment. As you know, the mystery of the death and resurrection of Christ is celebrated every year throughout the Christian world during Holy Week. What you may not know is that, as worshipers gather to commemorate Christ’s passion, scientists have been studying the results of tests made on an object alleged to be directly connected with that passion.

The object of intense religious devotion as well as scientific curiosity is a simple strip of linen, known as the Shroud of Turin. It has been venerated by Christians for centuries as the burial cloth that wrapped the body of Jesus Christ in his tomb after his crucifixion and death. I explore the provenance and history of that relic, as well as the scientific tests that have been done over the years in order to find an answer to the question: Who is the Man of the Shroud?

It is a fascinating story! Part I this weekend!