- Christina Guzman (Australian Catholic Weekly). Sydney
After centuries of scientific evidence and debate, the Shroud of Turin remains one of the most intriguing and fascinating religious objects in the world, a mystery that continues to attract skeptics and believers, researchers and theologians alike.
The renowned writer, journalist and researcher William West, an expert on the authenticity of the Holy ShroudThe Australian Conference on Sustainable Development, held at St. Patrick's Catholic Church in Sydney's Bondi district, known for its famous beach, on March 3, was previewing the Australian Conference on Sustainable Development. the Holy Shroud to be held in June.
William West began to investigate
During his talk, he presented 10 compelling pieces of evidence out of the 99 he found that support the historical significance and scientific of the shroud.
West began the evening by recalling his relationship with the shroud, which began in Summer Hill, Australia, in the 1980s, when he was recommended to watch the documentary 'The Silent Witness', a film that sparked great interest in the shroud around the world.
Then came the carbon dating results of the late 1980s, which claimed it dated only to between 1260 and 1790. Believing the revelations, West saw a poster of the shroud in a Catholic bookstore, and thought, 'Those people keep promoting this route. Don't they realize it's a fake?' He decided then, as a scholar, to 'explain to people why it's really a fake' and began to investigate.
The Shroud is two thousand years old
Delving deeper into the literature, West uncovered evidence that led him to reconsider his position. In 2024, he published the book 'The Shroud Rises, As the Carbon Date is Buried', in which he suggests that the 1988 carbon date for the shroud "has finally been shown to be seriously flawed". More recent dating tests have indicated that the shroud is 2,000 years old.
"It's covered in blood. It's one of the first things you notice on the shroud," he explained.
He described that not only are the obvious wounds evident - such as the large flow of blood from the side - but that each scourge mark, both on the front and back of the cloth, is accompanied by blood stains.
Blood clots 100 % accurate, and they are intact.
"Research has shown very clearly that those blood flows and clots are 100 % accurate and intact," he said. "Once the blood is soaked and dried, everyone knows that it sticks together with force. And when you force it, the blood clots break. But in the shroud, all those blood clots covering the whole body are intact."
"It has been studied by forensic pathologists from all over the world, some of the leading experts in the field, and they have been absolutely amazed at the accuracy of the details," he continues.
"In contrast, artists often depict simple drops of blood. The shroud shows blood clots: each deposit is an intact clot."
French surgeon of the First World War
West further emphasized his point by referring to Pierre Barbet, a French surgeon who spent much of World War I treating battlefield casualties before becoming a prominent professor and chief surgeon at a major Paris hospital.
"Barbet was obsessed with blood and so he became obsessed with the shroud," West explained. "He said he couldn't miss it at all and for him that one aspect of the shroud was enough to convince him that it was definitely our Lord."
Signs of Jerusalem's dirtiness
Other evidence West spoke of was related to "clear signs of dirt from Jerusalem".
"They found that the dirt had a chemical fingerprint, a special limestone earth that is not found anywhere else in the world, around the knees and nose," he said. Finally, West talked about a close-up of the linen fabric itself.
"Now the image itself. Science has discovered that because it's not made of any artistic material, such as 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, in his view, "they could never produce the full picture because it would require more electrical power than we have even today."
