Friday, December 1, 2023

The Holy Face on the Netflix platform


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.

 


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