Contemplating the Face of Christ: The Shroud of Turin Exhibit at the Manila Cathedral

by Luis Antonio Fabregar

Fifty years after the Shroud of Turin was first exhibited in the Philippines, the Shroud Exhibit returns to the Manila Cathedral, inviting Filipinos to contemplate the face of Christ. 

At the opening mass for the exhibit opening on October 2, 2026, Cardinal Jose Advincula called on Catholics to move beyond simply looking at the face of Christ and allow that face to shape the way they live, particularly in their encounter with people who suffer. The Archbishop of Manila said—

Be the face of God to a broken world.

The Cardinal's message set the spiritual tone for the return of the Shroud exhibit to the same cathedral where the first Philippine exhibition was held in 1976.

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The anniversary celebration, organized by the Lieutenancy of the Philippines of the Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulchre of Jerusalem, together with the Works of the Saints Apostolate Movement and the Missionary Sisters of the Holy Face of Jesus, brings together prayer, history, science and reflection on the Passion of Christ.

At the center of the exhibition is a full-size replica of the Shroud, accompanied by relics associated with the Passion and the saints, displayed on the Holy Face and a life-size Santo Entierro sculpture depicting the wounded figure represented on the Shroud.

From the face of Christ to a life of conversion

In his homily, Cardinal Advincula presented the 50th anniversary not merely as a celebration of the past but as an opportunity to examine the spiritual fruit of five decades of devotion to the Holy Face of Jesus. He developed his reflection around three themes: the grace of humility, accountability, and recognizing Christ in those who suffer.

Reflecting on Job's encounter with God, the Cardinal spoke of the importance of humility. Job seeks an explanation for his suffering, but his encounter with God ultimately leads him to recognize the limits of human understanding.

Cardinal Advincula connected this with the mystery of the Incarnation: the God who reveals His majesty in the whirlwind chose to reveal Himself through the human face of Jesus. “He gave himself a human face,” the Cardinal said.

The Shroud, therefore, becomes a point of contemplation of Christ's suffering and love.

Yet the Cardinal's reflection did not stop at contemplation. He described the jubilee as a “spiritual audit,” asking whether five decades of devotion have actually brought about a conversion of heart. Drawing from Jesus' warning to the towns that witnessed His miracles but remained unchanged, he reminded the faithful that God's grace also carries a responsibility. The question, therefore, is not simply whether Catholics have seen the Shroud, but whether contemplating the face of Christ has changed the way they see and treat others.

Recognize His face in those who suffer

Cardinal Advincula's final point brought the reflection on the Holy Face from the cathedral into everyday life.

He described this as a kind of “facial recognition of the soul.”

Christ's face, he said, must be recognized in the suffering faces of society: the exhausted commuter, the lonely elderly person and the hungry child.

“You must look at the suffering faces of our society,” he told the faithful.

For the Missionary Sisters of the Holy Face of Jesus, this recognition is linked to their mission of reparative love. Prayer and Eucharistic adoration, the Cardinal said, should give Christians the strength to go out and encounter Christ among people on the margins. The movement is therefore from contemplation to mission—from looking at Christ's face to becoming His face of compassion in the world.

Compassion and passion

The same movement from contemplation to conversion emerged in the academic lecture delivered by Rev. Fr. Joseph Spence, FFM, a Catholic priest and professor of the Shroud at the Pontifical Athenaeum Regina Apostolorum in Rome.

In his presentation, Fr. Spence traced the history of the Shroud, its study over the centuries and the scientific questions surrounding the cloth and the image it bears.

He recalled its documented exhibition in Lirey in 1357, its later association with the Savoy family and its transfer to Turin in 1578. He also discussed the significance of the first photograph of the Shroud, taken by Secondo Pia in 1898, which revealed the striking photographic negative of the image.

Fr. Spence also discussed scientific investigations of the Shroud, including questions surrounding its image, blood marks and the carbon-14 dating conducted in the late 1980s. While some of his interpretations of the carbon-14 results and other scientific evidence remain subjects of scholarly debate, Fr. Spence argued for continued research and the development of less-invasive methods of examining and dating the cloth.

But for Fr. Spence, the significance of the Shroud ultimately goes beyond scientific investigation. Asked what single message about Christ he hoped visitors would carry with them after seeing the exhibit, he answered: “compassion and passion.”

He explained that the Passion should not be understood simply in terms of how much Jesus suffered, but also why He suffered—out of love and for the salvation of humanity.

Drawing on St. Thomas Aquinas, Fr. Spence pointed to the virtues revealed in Christ's Passion: meekness, patience, humility, mercy, charity, faith and hope.

The Passion, he suggested, reveals what comes from Christ when He is tested.

His reflection recalled Jesus' words of forgiveness from the cross, presenting Christ's response to suffering not as bitterness, but as mercy and love.

A 50-year Philippine Connection

The 2026 exhibit also renews a connection between the Philippines and the development of Shroud studies. Among those connected with the 1976 Philippine exhibition was Mother Maria Elisabetta Patrizi, who accompanied Shroud expert Msgr. Giulio Ricci during his visit to Manila.

Fr. Spence recalled how Patrizi had encountered Ricci and became deeply interested in the Shroud, eventually helping establish a center dedicated to its study. The two later traveled to different parts of the world, including the Philippines, to speak about the Shroud.

The 1976 visit became part of the story that eventually led to the establishment of the Missionary Sisters of the Holy Face of Jesus, whose ministry has continued to promote devotion to the Holy Face.

The return of the exhibit to Manila Cathedral thus brings together two timelines: the history of the Shroud's presence in the Philippines and the five-decade journey of a religious mission inspired by devotion to the Holy Face.

More than an exhibition

The replica on display is a full-size copy held by the Works of the Saints Apostolate Movement. Organizers said it was blessed by Pope Benedict XVI in 2011 and Pope Francis in 2015.

The replica has since been brought to different parts of the country by the Missionary Sisters of the Holy Face of Jesus as part of their mission to promote devotion to the Holy Face.

The exhibition also features relics associated with the Passion of Christ and the saints. Organizers said the faithful may have the opportunity to obtain a plenary indulgence, subject to the conditions prescribed by the Church.

Another highlight is the full-size Santo Entierro sculpture, carved in baticulin wood by Filipino artist Reden Ballesteros and specially commissioned by the Philippine Lieutenancy of the Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulchre of Jerusalem.

The exhibit is scheduled for public viewing from October 3 to 16.

But the deeper purpose of the celebration, as expressed in both Cardinal Advincula's homily and Fr. Spence's lecture is not simply to examine an ancient cloth or preserve a historical memory.

It is to encounter the mystery of Christ.

From Looking to Becoming

Cardinal Advincula ended his homily with the story of a young boy who wanted to draw God. Later, the child stood before a mirror and traced his own reflection. When asked why, he explained that if God lives within him, he wanted to make sure that he looked like God. For the Cardinal, this is the challenge facing the faithful as the Church looks toward another 50 years.

The Shroud invites people to look at the suffering face of Christ. The Gospel then asks what they will do with what they have seen.

The answer is found not only in devotion, but in conversion, compassion and service.

The 50th anniversary, therefore, is more than a return to 1976. It is an invitation to allow the face of Christ to be reflected in the lives of His disciples—and, as Cardinal Advincula put it—to “be the face of God to a broken world.”