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| Photo by Paul Badde |
Millions of people – in over 190 countries
around the world – were able to watch the documentary "Mysteries of the Faith"
by Antonio Bini
On November 1st, the series of four
documentaries entitled "Mysteries of the Faith" was made
available on Netflix, an entertainment platform on a global scale, with over
286 million subscribers, broadcast simultaneously in more than 190 countries
around the world and presented as an unprecedented access to sacred places
around the world. with exploration of
the most legendary treasures of Christianity, precious relics, steeped in myths
and legends, often credited with miracles, which have inspired millions of
people over the centuries. Popular religiosity has several sources of
inspiration, among which the relics of Jesus Christ are of particular
importance.
The screening of the series, which takes place
in the perspective of the Jubilee of 2025, was anticipated by a considerable flow
of international communications, together with a two-minute trailer conveyed on
You Tube by Netflix itself, which recorded thousands of contacts and numerous
comments.
For the American press, the newspapers USA TODAY and Wall Street Journal are worth mentioning, among others. On the latter newspaper, John Anderson, perhaps taken by the power of the images, wrote on October 31, 2023 that "One needn't be a true believer to be fascinated by the holy relics of the Catholic Church, objects credited with the ability to facilitate miracles and even provide access to the divine." AlsoThe Tribune of India newspaper, in an article by Nonika Singh, speaks of "an engaging journey into the world of faith, the series offers wealth of information on the priceless relics." Regarding the Holy Face of Manoppello, the thesis is supported that it is the Veronica.
Until now, not many Catholic media have
covered the broadcast. The Australian weekly The Catholic Weekly of November 1 stands out, claiming that the
docuseries "shines a light on Christianity's most cherished relics."
The documentary, narrarated by actor David
Harewood - begins with the alleged crown of thorns, kept in the cathedral of
Notre Dame in Paris, saved from the devastating fire of April 15, 2019, and
then sets out on the trail of the Holy Grail and later treats of the various relics of the cross on which Jesus died. The perspective of the production seems to be
oriented towards giving a demonstration of the manifestations of faith proper
to popular devotion that originates from the veneration of saints and in particular
of the relics of Jesus Christ, considered "sources of light for
pilgrims".
A
concept confirmed by the academic Nicola Denzey Lewis, professor at Claremont
Graduate University, who affirms that "relics are like beacons for
pilgrimages".
A significant space of the entire series is
reserved for the Holy Face of Manoppello, re-proposed in different parts,
assuming a particular centrality, connected above all to prolonged close-ups of
remarkable quality in terms of images.
I had the opportunity to collaborate with the
production team by answering questions, providing documentation and a series of
articles on the Holy Face. I think that they kept it on a general level, also with
the aim of creating a work that would stand out from others done previously.
The testimony of Fr. Antonio
Gentili, rector of the Shrine of the Holy Face, was something they concentrated upon. Fr. Gentili affirmed that
from his first encounter with the sacred image he felt very loved, expressing
the conviction that it is truly the Face of Jesus imprinted in the first
moments of the resurrection.
This statement was followed by an effective
graphic reconstruction of the entrance to the tomb where Jesus had been buried,
found empty by the apostles, with the boulder moved and with the only remaining
traces represented by the burial cloths and the sudarium, in correspondence with
what is narrated in the Gospel of John. The hypothesis was clearly supported by
Fr. Domenico da Cese who wrote about it for a holy card that he had printed in
the 1970's.
The footage shows the Shrine, trying as
closely as possible to frame the façade – which is awaiting extraordinary
maintenance work – zooming in on the town, shown from above and in its historic
center. In some passages, Sister Blandina also appears on the Via Santarelli.
The choice to follow the paths of faith has
led the director to privilege several testimonies of devotees, as well as opening a window on the nature of the fabric in which the face of Jesus (the true-icon "vera-icona")
is imprinted, landing upon the thesis of the so-called "sea silk",
expressed by Chiara Vigo, a master in the art of the weaving of byssus, from the island of Sant'Antioco, in Sardinia.
The testimony of Rocco Rulli is of particular
importance, embracing three generations, united by a solid devotion to the Holy
Face, starting with his father, a miner in Marcinelle (Belgium), who escaped
the mining disaster of 8 August 1956 due to a fortuitous change of his work shift, to
Rocco himself, saved by pure chance from the devastating earthquake in Friuli
on May 6, 1976 which took place while he was doing his
military service in Gemona, the epicenter of the earthquake, and then that of his
daughter Francesca, who in 2003 had been given up for dead following a severe
cerebral hemorrhage. The story is accompanied by images of the tragedy of
Marcinelle and of the earthquake in Friuli.
As a sign of devotion and gratitude, Rocco
Rulli, ever since 1976, has been one of those who carry the Holy Face and as such has been filmed by the cameras during the procession. Another testimony is that given by
Rossella Olivieri, a woman from Manoppello, who states that she survived, to the
disbelief of the doctors, a cardiac arrest that lasted five minutes.
The narrative reproduces the images of
Benedict XVI's pilgrimage to Manoppello on September 1, 2006, showing the
visible emotion of the German pope in front of the relic. In this regard,
Robert Cargill, professor of biblical studies at the University of Iowa,
weighs in, affirming how the visit of Pope Benedict XVI has undoubtedly
contributed to giving credibility to the Holy Face, and implicitly to the
studies developed so far. In another contribution, Jason Horovitz, Rome correspondent
for the New York Times, called the Veronica a symbol of devotion.
In this regard, it seems appropriate to recall
what the recently deceased Australian Vatican correspondent, Desmond O'Grady, wrote in his book of essays"25 Jubilees. Stories and secrets of Rome in the holy
years from 1300 to 2000", ed. Piemme, 1999, in which, pointing to the
identification of the veil of Veronica with the Holy Face of Manoppello affirmed by Fr.
Heinrich Pfeiffer, he states: "it is not known how and when the relic reached Rome, but it seems that it produced an impact comparable to that which
Christ himself would have achieved."
An isolated position doubting the
authenticity of the Holy Face is expressed by Roberto Falcinelli, who is
mistakenly presented as "among the few art historians who have been allowed
to study the Holy Face", since he is a Roman photographer who claims to
belong to the Giulio Ricci Diocesan Center for the Study of the Shroud in Rome.
The direct relationship between the Shroud and
the sudarium of the Holy Face is, on the other hand, asserted by Guy Hayward,
one of the founders of the British Pilgrimage Trust.
A subsequent follow-up does not fail to
recall, for that matter, the doubts about the authenticity of the Shroud itself,
especially with reference to the well-known study carried out in 1984 with the
radiometric technique of carbon 14, which led scientists to date the cloth to sometime between 1260 and 1390, without this changing the attitude of the Church.
Returning to the power of relics, we find the
profound testimony of Rabbi Gabriel Hagay, director of the Rabbinical Institute
in Paris - who speaks while the images of the Holy Face are scrolling -
stating that "where there has been a miracle, there is a relic. It
connects you to the power of the relic and suddenly something goes into action
that uplifts you. You're here, but your mind, your spirit is up there. You are
connected to God." Here it is appropriate to recall how Hagay was very
impressed by the Holy Face, arriving as a pilgrim in Manoppello on the occasion
of the feast of the Holy Face in May 2014, together with Roberta Collu-Moran, professor of
anthropology of religions at the Catholic Institute of Paris (cf. Bulletin of
the Holy Face, no. 1/2014, p. 34 ff. and https://holyfaceofmanoppello.blogspot.com/2014/08/the-rabbi-and-holy-face-of-manoppello.html).
The prolonged shots of the Holy Face are
certainly to be appreciated, even in the foreground and in different contexts,
inside and outside the basilica, in different light conditions, which make the
veil, even without any comment, an inexplicable "object",
unrepeatable and impossible to replicate. Of particular effect are the
sequences of the Holy Face with the reflections of the fireworks.
Mysteries of the Faith privileges the aspects
related to faith and miracles - leaving to the audience possible answers - regarding the historical and scientific method, sometimes barely hinted at, putting in
the background the complexity of some events of the past that do not allow
everyone to easily understand - for example - the still prudent attitude
towards the Holy Face on the part of the Church, which has never admitted the disappearance of the Veronica (True Icon) from St. Peter's.
