Shroud of Turin focus of researcher’s talk

Franciscan St. Francis Health-Indianapolis will host a free presentation about the famed Shroud of Turin on Saturday.

The shroud is an ancient linen showing a faint image of what appears to be a crucifixion victim whom many believe to be Jesus of Nazareth. Some say it’s a forgery and hoax, but scholars have spent many years studying the artifact to research its authenticity.

Barrie Schwortz, an Orthodox Jew, is considered one of the world’s leading experts and will share his expertise and experiences at a free public event starting at 9:15 a.m. in the hospital’s basement auditorium, 8111 S. Emerson Ave., Indianapolis.

Schwortz, a professional technical photographer, was invited to participate in the first in-depth scientific examination of the cloth, known as the Shroud of Turin Research Project, in 1978. He was a skeptic at first but later became convinced of the shroud’s authenticity based on scientific evidence.

In 2009, Schwortz founded the Shroud of Turin Education and Research Association, an organization that publishes fact-based information. In addition to this extensive online resource, the group maintains a vast collection of scientific and historical material crucial to the continuing study of the shroud.