The Shroud of Turin: A mystery that continues to fascinate

SYDNEY (OSV News) -- After centuries of scientific testing and debate, the Shroud of Turin remains one of the most intriguing religious artifacts in the world for both sceptics and believers, researchers and theologians.

Renowned author, journalist and researcher William West, an expert on the shroud's authenticity, addressed a packed audience at St. Patrick's Catholic Church in the Bondi district of Sydney, known for its famous beach, on March 3, in advance of the Australian Holy Shroud Conference to be held in June.

During his talk, he presented 10 pieces of compelling evidence out of 99 he found that support the shroud's historical and scientific significance.

West began the evening by reminiscing on his journey with the shroud, which started in Summer Hill, Australia, in the 1980s when he was advised to watch the documentary "The Silent Witness" -- a film that greatly expanded interest in the shroud worldwide.

Then came the carbon dating results of the late 1980s, claiming it only dated between 1260 and 1790. Believing the revelations, when West saw a poster of the shroud in a Catholic bookstore, he thought to himself: "Those people are still promoting this route. Don't they realize that it's a fake?"

He decided, as a scholar, to "explain to people why it really is a fake" and started doing research.

Delving deeper into the literature, West discovered evidence that led him to reconsider his position. In 2024, he published a book "The Shroud Rises, As the Carbon Date is Buried," in which he suggests the 1988 carbon date for the shroud "has finally been shown to be seriously flawed." Newer dating tests have indicated the shroud is 2,000 years old.

"It's covered in blood. That's one of the first things you notice about the shroud," he explained.

He described how not only are the obvious wounds -- such as the large blood flow from the side -- evident, but every scourge mark on both the front and back of the cloth is accompanied by bloodstains.

"The research has shown very clearly that those blood flows and clots are 100% accurate and intact," he said. "Once the blood soaks in and dries, everyone knows it sticks hard. And when you force it off, the blood clots break. But on the shroud, all of those blood clots covering the whole body are all intact.

"Forensic pathologists from all over the world have studied it, some of the leading experts in the field, and they've been absolutely amazed at how precise the details are," he continued.

"Artists, by contrast, usually depict mere dribbles of blood. The shroud actually shows clots of blood -- every deposit is an intact clot."

West further emphasized his point by referencing Pierre Barbet, a French surgeon who spent much of World War I treating battlefield casualties before becoming a leading professor and head surgeon at a major Paris hospital.

"Barbet was basically obsessed with blood and through that he became obsessed with the shroud," West explained.

"He said that he just couldn't fault it at all and for him that one aspect of the shroud was enough to convince him that it was definitely our Lord."

Other evidence West spoke about related to "clear signs of dirt from Jerusalem."

"They found that dirt had a chemical fingerprint, a special limestone soil not really found anywhere else in the world, around the knees and nose" he said.

Lastly, West spoke on a close-up of the linen fabric itself.

"Now the image itself, science has discovered that because it's not made from any artistic materials, like paint, paint and ink or dye, the only way scientists can reproduce this even today is by using a huge burst of ultraviolet light from excellent lasers," West explained.

However, "they could never ever produce the whole image because it would take more electrical power than we have even today," he said.