Conference in Manoppello on the Metaphysics of the Image, Promoted by the UKEN University of Krakow

 

Conference Poster

The Holy Face, still today a reference point for the world of contemporary art

Text and Photos by Antonio Bini

The Holy Face was the basic reference of the conference, as it was considered "the source and the root of the representations contained in tradition and an element of intellectual and of Christian art", as explained in his introduction by Prof. Lukasz Murzyn, dean of the Faculty of Art and head of the Art and Metaphysics Study Group which promoted the conference on  May 2 and 3, 2025 in Manoppello

The Group, which operates at the Institute of Painting and Art Education of the Faculty of Fine Arts of the University of the National Commission for Education in Kraków (UKEN), conducts research on changes in contemporary iconography, working in the field of visual anthropology, history of the philosophy of art, both in the field of experimental artistic activities and in that of the language of the visual arts.

Fr. Antonio Gentili at the microphone with Prof. Lukasz Murzyn to the left

The participants of the conference, held at the Shrine's Pilgrim Hotel, were welcomed by the rector of the Shrine Fr. Antonio Gentili and by the mayor of Manoppello Giorgio De Luca.

The Conference sought to respond to the question of what remains today of those Christian roots, of how they are understood and what the metaphysics of the image can reveal today.

Historical-religious themes were also developed, with the talk given by Father Ceslao Gedacz OFM Cap, who recalled some important figures in the history of the Holy Face belonging to the order of the Capuchins, such as Fr. Donato da Bomba, who had the task of drafting the Relatione Historica (1640), following the donation of the veil to the Capuchins, Fr. Filippo da Tussio, author of the first book on the Holy Face, published in 1875, and then Fr. Domenico da Cese, the first to promote the divine nature of the sacred image. There was no shortage of references to a number of scientific studies and the results of two commissions of medical doctors conducted at the Shrine in 2011 and 2012, the first commission composed of Germans and Austrians, the second of Italians.  Fr. Ceslaus himself was present during these commissions, being part of the community of religious of the Shrine at that time.

The research of these doctors was recently published in the book by Sr. Blandina Paschalis Schlömer, entitled "Sali’ sul Tramonto” (He rose above the sunset) her first book published in Italian after several books published in Austria, Germany, Poland and France. The German iconographer was also present at the conference.

Sr. Monika Gutowska, of the Handmaids of the Most Holy Blood in Manoppello, summarized her experience of welcoming and contacting a great number of pilgrims, describing various cases, even of non believers, of people who have seen their lives transformed, as well as the desire of many devotees to return to the Shrine several times a year, from Italy and abroad, from a profound need to keep in regular contact with that Face, whose reproductions are present in many Polish homes.

The Conference Hall during the talk by Fr. Cucinelli

Among those speaking was also Fr. Carmine Cucinelli, former rector of the Shrine, who has been involved in recent years in a number of enthronements of the Holy Face in Poland, including in the Krakow shrine dedicated to John Paul II. As part of the conference, the documentary "The Face of Jesus" (Oblicze Jezusa) directed by Jaroslaw Rędziak, with references to the Shroud of Turin and the painting of Merciful Jesus promoted by St. Faustina Kowalska, and provides extensive insights into the Holy Face thanks to the significant testimonies of the writer and journalist Paul Badde, as well as that of Sr. Petra-Maria Steiner, Sr. Blandina Paschalis Schlömer and Prof. Zbigniew Treppa of the University of Gdansk.

In addition to the aforementioned Prof. Łukasz Murzyn, the following also spoke: Sebastian Stankiewicz, Rafal Solewski, Kazimierz Piotrowski, Bernadeta Stano, Anna Grąbczewska, Agnieszka Daca, Jacek Pasieczny and Stanisław Wójcicki of the Study Group of the Uken University in Krakow.

Professors of the UKEN University of Krakow during a break at the Conference

We summarize the reports presented, whose simultaneous translation was edited by Agnieszka Kledzik, from the University of Warsaw. These same reports may be the subject of more in-depth analysis at the time of publication of the proceedings, which will be edited by Sebastian Stankiewicz, under the title "Beautiful God. The veil of Manoppello and the iconography of the Incarnation", with reference to a theological reflection on the "Beautiful God" present in the Middle Ages, expressed by Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, during a conference held at the Urbaniana Pontifical University in Rome, a theme to which he returned after becoming Pope Benedict XVI.

The Group's commitment has also led to the creation of the portal https://diafanitas.uken.krakow.pl  that collects experiences and initiatives on the study of the transparency of bodies intersected by light from a Christian dimension. Various interpretative readings of the Holy Face have been developed, with the assumption that "he who comes into contact with the Veil of Manoppello attests to its uniqueness and mystery."

For representatives of the disciplines of the arts, many questions remain open: the origin of the image and its history, the relationship between relic and image, the role of the veil of Manoppello in the creation of iconographic models in Christian art and in the evolution of the ways of depiction in Western culture, the role of the veil among other depictions considered acheropite or the formal similarities with the images of Christ depicted in the art of the ancient masters, e.g., Dirk Bouts, Leonardo da Vinci and Albrecht Dürer, among others, and in the tradition of the East. For contemporary art scholars, philosophers, theologians and anthropologists, the encounter with the Holy Face raises questions such as the relationship between sensual beauty and transcendent beauty, the idea of transparency and lights, the Christian sources of the idea and concept of the person, the meaning of the gaze and of the encounter, the presence and contemporary reception of religious themes in art and in sacred art or the importance of metaphysical references in contemporary art.

In my speech, I recalled the studies of Fr. Heinrich Pfeiffer (1939-2021), former professor of history at the Gregorian University in Rome, who identified the Holy Face with Veronica (vera ikon) on the occasion of the International Conference of the Institute for Research on the Face of Christ, presided over by Cardinal Fiorenzo Angelini, and then during a press conference held in Rome on May 21, 1999, in the time just prior to the Great Jubilee of the Year 2000, which  spread knowledge of the Abruzzo Shrine throughout the world

Some sequences of that press conference, with interviews of the German scholar on Italian and foreign television have been reproduced in a video which the organizers wanted to have screened at the opening of the works. The thesis of Fr. Pfeiffer was then an isolated position, opposed for a long time, more or less openly. But his thesis was later shared by Benedict XVI, who visited the Shrine on September 1 2006, composing a prayer that he dedicated to the "human face of God who entered history through unveiling the horizons of eternity".

Also under the pontificate of Benedict XVI, in a statement from the Holy See on July 11 2011 it was reported that "Veronica had disappeared from St. Peter's following the Sack of Rome in 1527”. This circumstance was confirmed by the then director of the Vatican Museums, Prof. Antonio Paolucci (former Minister of Culture of the Italian Government), in an interview with the newspaper Il Resto del Carlino of August 11, 2011.

The admission put an end to almost five centuries of silence that fueled for so long a time doubts and uncertainties, also through works of disinformation carried out also through changes made to the original image, through the reproductions that presented the "Veronica" with eyes closed. In this regard, the Veronica Route Project, launched in recent years by a group of Milanese scholars, has led to a collaborative research, still in progress, of 6200 ancient depictions, collected in a multimedia catalog, of the true icon of Christ (Veroniche) with his eyes open,.

Despite this, on April 6, an article appeared on the Vatican News website that the presence  of the Veronica in St. Peter's (or, rather, a copy of it,  on a black background in which one does not perceive images), while the Holy Face is indicated as a "sudarium", reiterating, moreover, its acheropite nature. Evidently the writer was ignorant of the painful path that had led to the 2011 admissions. Fr. Pfeiffer would still be committed to making his case.

Finally, as part of the conference, an exhibition of artists-teachers and students with the title  “Face to Face", entered the space of the Shrine in a respectful way, offering a forum unique for interdisciplinary dialogue.

Poster for the Exhibition

"At the basis of the concept of the exhibition," said curator Prof. Stanislawa Wojcicki, "there is the face-to-face encounter with the image of the Veil, treated by scholars as a prototype for other representations of Christ. We would like our works to be considered a votive offering, something we leave here to express gratitude for the fact that we were able to find ourselves in this place which is particularly important to us."

At the end of the conference we asked Fr. Arturo Alcàntara Arcos, professor of spiritual theology and associate of the Soumaya Museum in Mexico City, also in Manoppello for the occasion, for an overall judgment who said: "It is particularly interesting to consider multidisciplinary points of view from a secular university. Here you can appreciate the different areas in which theology can be present, both directly and indirectly. The UKEN of Krakow, inspired by the National Commission for Education established in eighteenth century by the Polish king Poniatowski, opens the doors for a new dialogue between theology and the different artistic and aesthetic disciplines of our day in the contemplation of the Face of the Lord."

From what emerged during the conference and on the basis of the same conclusions of Prof. Lukasz Murzyn, the conviction that the Holy Face can still represent for art the reference to the contemporaneity of Christ. A perspective of analysis that the professors of the University of Krakow – the first to organize a similar event in Manoppello - intended to offer to the art world.

Work Exhibited in the Basilica by Jacek Pasieczny "Not matter but image"
as Part of the Exhibition "Face to Face"

This artist describes his work in the following manner. They are reflections of light, with the author who used a glass with a particular color reminiscent of golden byssus, and specifies that it is not a copy of the original, but an attempt to paint a picture with the light.

Take a Closer Look: The Holy Face and the Metaphysics of the Image. May 2 and 3, 2025 Conference in Manoppello Promoted by the UKEN University of Krakow Poland

 

Editor's note:  I believe this conference to be the signifcant beginning of a process of understanding in a profound way the meaning of the Holy Face for all aspects of human culture.  This understanding is very much needed for the future of humanity to be rooted in Jesus Christ. 

On May 2 and 3, 2025, the Shrine of the Holy Face of Manoppello will host an international scientific conference entitled "Wpatrz się / Scrutare, Metafizyczność obrazu. Obfitość przenikania, czyli o synestetycznej wartości dzieła / Take a Closer Look: The metaphysics of the image. The abundance of permeation or the synesthetic value of the work", organized by the Art and Metaphysics Research Team from the University of the Commission of National Education in Krakow and the Convent of the Capuchin Friars Minor in Manoppello in collaboration with the Sister Handmaids of the Most Precious Blood from Poland who minister in Manoppello. The conference will take place in person and will be accompanied by an exhibition of artists, lecturers and students of the University entitled "Twarzą w Twarz/Face to Face".

    

                                                                                                                            

On the first day of the conference presentations and discussions will be held regarding the historical and contemporary context of the Holy Face, taking into account the influence of the centuries-old cultural and religious heritage of this image on the iconography of Christianity and the role it has to play in the contemporary world. In addition, Professor Father Heinrich Pfeiffer and his contribution to research in the 1990's on the Veil of Manoppello, which he identified as the Veronica, will be remembered.

On the second day of the conference there will be a panel dedicated to contemporary religious art and its contexts. Topics for the presentations will include attempts to apply scientific interpretative tools from the fields of philosophy, theology and art history to the Image of Manoppello and other acheropite relics, "not made by human hands". In reflections on their influence, the artists and exhibition participants will also share the influence of the Bible and hagiography on their creative process." Twarzą w Twarz/ Face to Face", will therefore not only be a space for the exchange of knowledge, but also a reflection on the role of the artist and the Church in the face of the challenges of modern times.

The conference seeks to be an opportunity not only for scientific reflection, but also for knowledge of the different attitudes and modes of expression that are represented in the community of artists who work in our research team on art and metaphysics.

During the international scientific session at the Casa del Pellegrino in Manoppello -- which will be honored by the presence of H.E. Msgr. Archbishop Bruno Forte of the Diocese of Chieti -- a number of clergy, publicists, researchers, art historians, philosophers and artists will speak: Czesław Gadacz OFMCap, Prof. Antonio Bini, H. M. Monika Gutowska SAS, Prof. Łukasz Murzyn , Dr Sebastian Stankiewicz, Prof. Rafal Solewski, Dr Kazimierz Piotrowski, Dr Bernadeta Stano, Anna Grąbczewska, Dr Agnieszka Daca, Dr Jacek Pasieczny, Mgr Stanisław Wójcicki. During the session, the film directed by Jarosław Rędziak entitled "The Face of Jesus" will be presented.

The conference will also present the exhibition of artists-teachers and students entitled: "Twarzą w Twarz / Face to Face", to enter the space of the Shrine in the most respectful way possible, but also to offer a unique forum for interdisciplinary dialogue.                        

"We would like our works to be a votive offering, something we leave here to express our gratitude for the fact that we were able to be in this particularly important place for us. We would like to bring our intentions and considerations related to the works that we carry the most intimate relationship possible, with God." - declare the artists.

We can therefore say that this exhibition is a sort of prayer of thanksgiving and an introduction to the artistic means for the contemplation of the Divine Face of Manoppello... and at the same time a preface for their further activities.                            

 Admission to the event is free.  All those interested in the topic of the conference are invited to participate in this important event.

The Apostle of the Holy Face Commemorated in Cese 120 Years After his Birth. His Special Relationship with Padre Pio Remembered.

 

"Thank you, Lord, for giving us Padre Domenico"                                                                                                           

by Antonio Bini

all photos by Antonio Bini except as noted

With these heartfelt words, Padre Guglielmo Alimonti, a disciple of Padre Pio, concluded to applause the solemn Mass celebrated in Cese in memory of Padre Domenico, 120 years after his birth, taking up the message of St. John Paul II who in concluding his speech on the occasion of the canonization of Padre Pio, exclaimed:  "Thank you Lord for giving us Padre Pio and for having given him to us in this generation."  And there was certainly no lack of further parallels between Padre Pio and Padre Domenico, whose memory is always alive, seeming to reach ever younger generations, as these gatherings help us to discover  

People waiting to enter the chapel where Padre Domenico is buried

Sister Handmaids of the Most Holy Blood in front of the Chapel

A Devotee signs the visitor's book at the tomb of Padre Domenico
(photo by Francesca Esposito Bini)

Before the celebration, many people spontaneously gathered in the small cemetery, at the gates of the town, to visit the tomb of Padre Domenico. The town, a hamlet of the municipality of Avezzano, has about 600 inhabitants. For the occasion, the town square and the side streets were taken over by cars from a number of parts of Italy.

The greetings of the city of Avezzano was expressed in the church by the Councilor Iride Cosimati, wearing the tricolor sash of her office, who recalled that she had always been impressed by the figure of Padre Domenico, whom she had known as a child, thanking the Capuchin fathers and those who came to Cese for his commemoration.

Padre Guglielmo meets Councillor Iride Cosimati. Behind her Sister Maria Matera

The Mass was preceded by a meeting with several Capuchin Fathers gathered in Cese for the occasion, welcomed by Padre Lorenzo Macerola and Padre Frederick Alorbu.     

    

Capuchins in front of the altar meet the devotees of Padre Pio

              

Among the Capuchins, seated in front of the altar, Father Domenico was remembered by Padre Guglielmo Alimonti and Padre Luciano Antonelli, both very close to Padre Domenico. Their testimonies were important and profound. Padre Guglielmo Alimonti is a well-known figure among the devotees of the Saint of Pietrelcina, and in particular among the Prayer Groups (he founded over five hundred in Italy and other European countries). At the age of 95 he is still very active in carrying on the memory of Padre Pio and there are many priests who turn to him from various parts of the world.  His speech was followed by that of Padre Luciano Antonelli. Both knew Padre Domenico since they were young students. The former, In the years following the death of Padre Pio, turned to him as a confessor, while the latter was his superior at the Shrine of Manoppello when Padre Domenico died on September 17, 1978. 

“It is good for us to meet together as friends and devotees of Padre Domenico", thus Padre Guglielmo warmly addressed those present, highlighting: "We too are here as confreres of Padre Domenico, we are here as people called by Padre Domenico himself to breathe for a moment the fragrance of his simplicity, his poverty, his seraphic charity, a true son of St. Francis." With these words the meeting opened.  We will combine his testimony together with that expressed during his homily, constituting, in fact, a single picture of the human and religious profile of the Capuchin, reporting some significant passages in the complete text and others summarized briefly.   

"Telling the lives of the saints means creating a mirror of the very life of Christ," said Padre Guglielmo, continuing: "Father Domenico often told us - because we urged him - "But when you were a child didn't you end up under the rubble of the earthquake?". That was the first extraordinary sign that the Lord performed to save the life of this future chosen one of his, as servant, and as holy priest. And it was said that he and his father had really come out of the rubble alive by a miracle. It was therefore a first sign, a ray of light on the life of this young boy." The friar was alluding to the catastrophic earthquake that devastated Marsica on January 13, 1915, causing the death of over 30 thousand people.

"I confessed to him as often as I could," continues Padre Guglielmo. "I was in Pescara not far from the Holy Face. He waited for me, met me, smiled at me, listened to me, caressed me, smiled at me and gave me signs of his holiness and also of his charisms", and then Padre Domenico’s relationship with Padre Pio: "Padre Domenico had a special friendship with Padre Pio and I had been with Padre Pio for years. The confreres knew that Padre Domenico went as a military chaplain to San Giovanni Rotondo (in 1940).  It is known that Padre Dominic went to see Padre Pio several times. There are a number of testimonies that Padre Domenico was seen following the coffin with the body of Padre Pio during the procession that was conducted throughout the town. And they also said to him: "Padre Domenico but weren't you there?" and he never answered explicitly, leaving it understood, as always happens when you want to "extract something" from the saints - and Padre Dominic was this way in his soul, in his heart, in his vocation, in his life – keeping his secrets. The saints prefer to leave them secret."

The friar was keen to point out that "the celebration we are holding today is not only a historical commemoration of the 120 years of Father Domenico, but it is a memory of graces, consolation, conversion", once again associating the memory of the friar with that of Padre Pio.

Padre Guglielmo giving the homily at the Mass

And further"Father Domenico showed that he was a man of God, because he was attracted by God, by Christ he was truly enlightened, consoled, strengthened. In him there was this boundless charity. Padre Domenico for many years, a bit like Padre Pio, welcomed people who came wherever he was, people ran everywhere, so much so that the superiors, almost disturbed by this phenomenon, sent him to smaller, more remote convents, so people did not get there. And it did not happen this way. People go where there is a saint. This was his mission until the end". In fact, Padre Domenico underwent many transfers in the course of his religious life and we know that even in Manoppello, where the flow of devotees had become increasingly remarkable, there was though of yet another, last transfer, opposed by many of his admirers. 

from left: Padre Guglielmo, Padre Lorenzo Macerola, Padre Luciano Antonelli, Deacon Antonio Masci

Finally, Padre Guglielmo did not fail to highlight as "the last stage" of his earthly life, Padre Domenico’s death that took place in Turin where he had gone for the exposition of the Shroud, which he does not refer to, defining the moment as "a luminous piece in the life of Father Domenico", who also there revealed himself to be a man of charity, consoling and encouraging the young man who had caused the accident. "He who acted as a guide to all the pilgrims who went to Manoppello, showing and explaining the face of Jesus, had said in confidence that he would not die in Manoppello, but would die after seeing the face of Jesus. We understood later the meaning of this statement".

Padre Luciano Antonelli also spoke recalling how in September 1977 he was transferred from Chieti to Manoppello, the place where Father Domenico, died a year later, on September 17, 1978, after having been present there for some time

"It was a fabulous year," he says, "one of the best years of my religious life because, I don't know, maybe there was also our youthfulness, that we were young. At that time there were four of us in the convent, but it seemed as if we were a caravan on the way. There was an atmosphere of mutual and beautiful love. And I attribute this precisely to the presence of Padre Domenico. The convent was filled with him. With his presence, his power, his voice and his prayers he filled both the convent and the shrine. It was a beautiful year." 

Padre Luciano also related his memory of an episode of exemplary obedience by Padre Domenico, whom he visited when he was a young student during a summer period spent in the convent of Campi, which for reasons of brevity we will leave out. 

Padre Luciano recalled the flow of devotees who then came to the Holy Face, because of Padre  Domenico: "they came from Puglia, from Ruvo di Puglia and Andria, together with Sister Amalia, from Pescara, from the parts of Ascoli. Buses came from Germany to stay sometimes for days, to go to confession, to meet, to talk with Father Domenico and I tell you that people returned home in a different way from how they had come, all full of joy, of a spirit of prayer".  And again: "I must tell you that I saw the holiness of Father Domenico from him, always present very early in the morning, he who opened the church, he knelt there, in the choir. Together we prayed. But he was the first. Prayer was truly his central focus and that of all those who came to him.  Padre Dominic was loved, Padre Dominic converted, because he prayed. He was ready to give, to give himself, ready to answer the phone, answer letters. We cannot fail to remember Brother Vincenzo D'Elpidio, who collected many letters from Father Domenico, some of which have been published." Brother Vincenzo tirelessly continued his work of collecting testimonies, but also of organizing meetings and maintaining relationships with many devotees, until his death on December 15, 2020. 

Father Domenico's holiness, together with his relationship with the Holy Face and St. Padre Pio, constantly resurfaced in a recurring and profound way throughout the afternoon. An opportunity not only to remember the birth of the friar, but also to maintain his memory and therefore to continue to support the reasons that justify unblocking the process for his beatification and canonization, resuming its journey, inexplicably stopped ten years after the granting of the Nihil Obstat (nihil osta), expressed by the Congregation for the Causes of Saints on March 3, 2015.

But Father Domenico's holiness, recalled by his confreres, was already widespread and recognized during his lifetime by many of his devotees, who continue to remember and venerate him.

Banner of the Association in Honor of the Holy Face of Manoppello
(photo by Francesca Esposito Bini)

The organization of the event was an initiative of the "Association in Honor of the Holy Face of Manoppello", established in 2022 in Tagliacozzo, also in the name of Padre Domenico, whose image, together with that of the Holy Face, recurs in the banner made by the expert hands of Marie Antoinette Rubeo. 

Rita Tabacco converses with Sr. Maria Matera surrounded by Apulian devotees
of the Holy Face

And it was precisely to the president of the Association, Rita Tabacco, that the provincial of the Capuchins of Central Italy, Padre Simone Calvarese, addressed his message of greeting given to those present, read by deacon Antonio Masci:                      

 "I learn with joy of the happy event that you have decided to celebrate because of the 120th anniversary of the birth of Father Domenico da Cese. I hope in God and I pray that the celebratory moment that you will be called to live will be such as to awaken in those present, and not only them, that genuine yearning that impels consciences to seek the profound meaning of the truth. For us Christians, truth has a face and a name, Jesus Christ. Father Domenico da Cese, through devotion to the Holy Face of Manoppello, transmitted to the faithful the importance of seeing, in every needy human being, Christ who said: "Whatever you did to one of my smallest garments, you did it to me" (Mt 25:40). May God therefore also grant you. the gift of being able to love him only everything and love our neighbor as Christ loved us."  

Padre Guglielmo talks with Sr. Maria Matera 

The event was animated by the Padre Pio Prayer Group of Pescara. Present were devotees of the Volto Santo Association of Ruvo di Puglia and the Volto Santo Association of Andria, together with Sister Maria Matera, disciple of the Holy Face and sister of Sister Amalia Di Rella, from Ruvo di Puglia, who was the spiritual daughter of Father Domenico. We recall that it was in the church of the Purgatory of Ruvo that the first enthronement of the Holy Face took place, in memory of Padre Domenico, in 1979, a few months after his death. The Handmaids of the Holy Blood, Polish nuns present in Manoppello since 2011, also participated in the event.

Finally, being in the Church of Santa Maria di Cese, I cannot help but remember how it was destroyed by the earthquake of 1915, where many people perished, including two little sisters of Padre Domenico who, on the other hand, was saved by a young man who pulled him out of the rubble, whose face he recognized many years later, arriving in Manoppello, where with surprise he recognized it as that of the Holy Face. A circumstance that he told some  people close to him, as per the testimonies collected. 

Church of Santa Maria di Cese

Well, in this church we notice some reproductions of the image in the vision of Sister Faustina Kowalska but not also that of the Holy Face, which we can find, instead, in distant places of the world. It is to be hoped that in the not too distant future, in this church, as in others in the world, there will be an image of him. It would be a significant way to remember Padre Domenico himself, who was a pioneer in the dissemination of the Holy Face, whose divine nature he had perceived.

He is Risen!

 

Photo by Paul Badde/EWTN

May the Face of the Risen Christ shine on you now and forever!

See the wonderful article by the artist Patricia Enk of New Orleans from her blog Illumina Domine.

https://illuminadomine.com/2025/04/19/the-cloth-that-covered-his-his-head-the-cloths-of-the-resurrection/

Photo by Paul Badde/EWTN

Excellent Book on the Holy Face of Manoppello by Italian Priest, Pastor and Theologian now Available in English

  

Mons. Walter Amaducci has authored a book which is an excellent introduction to the Holy Face of Manoppello summarizing in a concise, personal and profound way many important aspects of the Holy Face from his vantage point as believer, priest, pastor, and theologian.  The author has an impressive background in service to the Church in the diocese of Cesena-Sarsina in Italy,  as episcopal vicar for pastoral care in the diocese, director of the diocesan school of theology and pastor of San Pietro Church in Cesena.

Mons. Amaducci originally had extreme doubts about the authenticity of the Holy Face declaring "it's so ugly", but through the influence of parishioners and priest friends, and especially after reading in an obituary of Pope Benedict XVI that the pontiff had made a pilgrimage to the Holy Face, he determined to make his own visit to the shrine of Manoppello in April of 2023 with a small group.  

The sight of the Holy Face impressed him greatly and reminded him of the emotional experience he had on August 30, 1978 when he concelebrated Mass a few meters from the Shroud of Turin, describing it as an "authentic and moving 'encounter" which caused him joy and to exclaim "it's even beautiful" referring to the Holy Face.  

From that moment he has dedicated himself to deepening his knowledge of the Holy Face, by contemplating the sacred image in the light of the Holy Scriptures and the tradition of the Church, and by consulting experts on the Holy Face, above all by speaking with Sister Blandina Paschalis Schloemer, and referring to the published works of Fr. Heinrich Pfeiffer, Paul Badde and Saverio Gaeta.  

Now Mons. Amaducci, having been convinced of the importance of the Holy Face wishes to make the Holy Face, and its significance for believers, known to more and more people.    

His book, first published in Italian, is now available from Amazon in English translation both in paperback and in e-book format Click on link to order as well as in German and soon in Spanish. It includes a good number of images of the Holy Face, and of the shrine and deserves to be widely known.

Cardinal Tagle Brings the Entire Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples on Retreat to the Holy Face

 

by Antonio Bini   

photos taken from Facebook page of the Basilica of the Holy Face of Manoppello

https://www.facebook.com/basilicavoltosanto

About 150 people, that is, all the religious and lay personnel of the Dicastery for Evangelization, coming from various countries of the world, participated in the Lenten Retreat at the Shrine of the Holy Face on March 18, presided over by the prefect of the Dicastery, Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle, assisted by Archbishop Msgr. Fortunatus Nwachukwu from Nigeria, former Apostolic Nuncio and Secretary of the Section for the First Evangelization and the New Particular Churches, and by Archbishop Samuele Sangalli, Assistant Secretary of the same Dicastery. Fr. Antonio Gentili, Rector of the Shrine, welcomed the Cardinal and those accompanying him, aware of the symbolic importance of the event.

During the retreat, a meditation on the Face of Jesus was lead by Fr. Luciano Morra, S.J., former superior of a community in Taiwan. For Msgr. Samuele Sangalli, named archbishop by Pope Francis on February 5, the retreat immediately preceded the solemn liturgy of his episcopal ordination, which took place in St. Peter's the following day, in the presence of over 30 cardinals and bishops, with the principal consecrator being Card. Louis Antonio Tagle, who was appointed bishop by St. John Paul II in 2001 and created cardinal by Pope Benedict XVI in 2011. We also recall that the prefect of the Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples was the first Cardinal in the history of the Shrine to join - on May 20, 2017 - the traditional procession on foot from the Basilica to the town, together with many Italian and foreign pilgrims. Very devoted to the sacred image, he has distinguished himself in the dissemination of the Holy Face, especially in Asian countries.  According to credible sources, Cardinal Tagle was among the candidates at the conclave in 2013 which elected Pope Francis.  

Cardinal Tagle during the May 20, 2017 procession (photo by Antonio Bini)

The Face of the Resurrection Explained by Sr. Blandina Paschalis Schlömer

Salì sul tramonto "luce vera, quella che illumina ogni uomo" 

(He Rose Above the Sunset, "the true light, that enlightens every man") 

      

authored by Sr. Blandina Paschalis Schlömer

Reviewed by Antonio Bini

Available at the Souvenir shop of the Shrine and online:  https://www.souvenirvoltosanto.com/product/libro-sali-sul-tramonto-di-suor-blandina-paschalis-schlomer/

                                                                                                                                                  

Sr. Blandina Paschalis Schlömer (photo by Antonio Bini)

In the Jubilee year, the first book in Italian by the scholar of the Holy Face

As Fr. Carmine Cucinelli, long-time rector of the Shrine of Manoppello, explains in the introduction, the book is the first published in Italian by Sr. Blandina Paschalis Schlömer and follows previous publications on the Holy Face published in recent years by the nun from Germany in German, English, French and Polish.

It is, however, a completely new book, apart from some brief initial references to testimonies expressed in 1999 by Fr. Heinrich Pfeiffer, who recognized that the research of Sr. Blandina constituted "a sure foundation" for subsequent investigations on the Holy Face, and by Fr. Andrea Resch, the first scholar to favor the publication of her studies.

An eagerly awaited book, of 354 pages, with a complex layout, especially for the vast iconographic store consisting of 126 illustrations, twenty tables and an appendix of images on transparent slides of the Shroud, the Holy Face and the bloody Sudarium of Oviedo which, in superimposition, allow the evocative personal experience of seeing a single face. A further slide guides the reader to the points of congruence.

The work is composed of various sections, characterized by frequent biographical references, in which the scholar traces her relationship with the Holy Face which began progressively, after an initial refusal, in the years 1979-1980, once she became aware of the existence of another face, in addition to the Shroud, which she had previously studied.

The Trappist nun, a graduate in pharmacy and scholar of Christian iconography, sensed that the face of the Shroud and that of the Holy Face, representations of the death and resurrection of Christ, although apparently distant from each other, could be superimposed, with increasingly detailed research, leading to the conclusion that it must be a single face.

A unique circumstance as confirmed by the archbishop of the diocese of Chieti-Vasto, the theologian Bruno Forte, in one of his contributions in the book.

However, these results have not always been accepted in past years, as they challenged established beliefs.

Sr. Blandina admits that even in her convent "a growing misunderstanding" emerged. A situation that led her to ask to be assigned to the monastery of Helfta, then in the process of being refounded, a highly symbolic place, as that convent is linked to the lives of St. Gertrude and St. Matilda of Hackeborn, united by their special veneration of the Holy Face. In 2003 she had the opportunity to return to Italy, to Manoppello, where various circumstances convinced her to stay forever.

At first it was not easy, she recalls, including due to her lack of knowledge of the Italian language, but she remembers how she was spontaneously helped by some people from the village, who found her accommodation in an isolated farmhouse, in the hills, near the Shrine. I remember that a stable with two pigs continued to operate, and was later transformed into a small chapel, a place of prayer and meditation. Today, thanks also to the support of a German patron devoted to the Holy Face, the area has been expanded, with a larger chapel and meeting places, becoming an oasis of spirituality in the greenery , which is also the headquarters of the Association of Our Lady of the Holy Face, which supported the publication. From the window of her study, surrounded by numerous images of the Holy Face, her gaze is constantly turned towards the Shrine.

There are many individuals and groups who, arriving at the Shrine of Manoppello, also go to the hermitage to meet Sr. Blandina, well known among Italian and foreign scholars, especially after the historic visit of Benedict XVI.

A section of the book contains the exposition of various considerations expressed by physicians. A first "consultation" was promoted by Sr. Blandina, which in 2011 involved some Austrian and German doctors with different specializations: Elisabeth Koch (Austria), Harald and Maria Keller (Germany), Bertha Vera Wahrmann (Germany), Rudolf Tielsch (Austria), Cornelia Wehr (Austria), Ute Stass (Germany).

During 2012 a group of doctors from Chieti, encouraged by Mons. Bruno Forte, archbishop of Chieti-Vasto, met several times in Manoppello, deepening the mystery of the Holy Face. These are their names: Lucia Marchione, Luciano Paolo Marchionno, Piero Scipione, Fernando Galluppi, Pasquale Capone, Marina De Cesare. On this occasion, Fr. Ceslao Gadacz, then a member of the friary of the Shrine, participated wholeheartedly in the work, taking care of the creation of several videos in which images of the meetings and reflections expressed by the doctors were collected. Their consultation is facilitated with access via QR-code reported in the book.   

Photo taken at a recent gathering of the Italian doctors who collaborated with
Sr. Blandina on a section of the book (Photo by Antonio Bini)

                                                   

In the final elaboration of the contents, Sr. Blandina involved Dr. Francesca Esposito for an updated recognition of the scientific interpretations collected in past years.

The German scholar explains that the delay with which these studies are made public is due to her only recently acquired mastery of the Italian language, which has allowed her to finally consider the relevance of the doctors' theses, long kept in a drawer.

There is no shortage of references to other important research, such as those carried out by Prof. Pietro Baraldi in 2007, using Raman 2 laser technology, never previously disclosed, or regarding her intuition of marine byssus, which she shared and developed with the writer Paul Badde, confirmed by Chiara Vigo, the last expert master of the so-called sea silk, who lives on the island of Sant'Antioco. Also worth mentioning are various historical-artistic references to Veronica, which lead back to the Holy Face. Among these, the case of the altarpiece of the Holy Face-Veronica by Ugo da Carpi, examined very closely during the exhibition in the artist’s hometown in 2024, five centuries after its creation, commissioned by Pope Clement VII for the Jubilee of 1525.

Finally, it is necessary to refer to the title of the book, with which the author recalls the words of Pope St. Gregory the Great “he rose above the sunset because by rising again he trampled on the death he had endured”, an image that exhorts us to recognize Jesus in his resurrection, a perspective that constitutes the perennial horizon of Sister Blandina's mission, in continuity with what was the prophetic thought expressed by Fr. Domenico da Cese, a charismatic Capuchin, whose beatification she hopes to be able to attend, who affirmed with conviction of the Holy Face: "This is the face of the Risen One".

The important work constitutes, in the hopes of the author herself, who has dedicated her life to the Holy Face, an opportunity for scholars and devotees eager to delve into the complex material and spiritual reality of the veil of Manoppello. Knowing her, we can say that even at 82 years of age her research certainly does not end with this book.

Back Cover of Sr. Blandina's Book with reference to the Homily of Pope St. Gregory the Great on the Resurrection quoting Psalm 68 and the Gospel of John 1:9