By BENJAMIN RADFORD - LIVE SCIENCE
Updated: Wed, 05 May 2010 11:50:07 UTC

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On Sunday Pope Benedict XVI prayed before the Shroud of Turin, believed by many to be the burial shroud of Jesus. Benedict said that the shroud (which he called "an icon written in blood") provides a lesson in maintaining hope in the face of adversity, and that the faithful can see their trials and sufferings "mirrored" in the suffering of Christ as depicted on the shroud.

"This is a burial cloth that wrapped the remains of a crucified man in full correspondence with what the Gospels tell us of Jesus," Benedict said.

The Vatican has never officially declared the Shroud of Turin genuine, and Pope Benedict's statement is seen as a strong endorsement of its authenticity.

Outside of faith, in the realm of science, however, there's reason to be skeptical. The Shroud of Turin is the most famous, but certainly not the only, claimed "True Shroud." In fact throughout the centuries dozens of shrouds have appeared at one time or another that were claimed to be the one true burial cloth of Jesus, often products of a lucrative trade in fake religious relics.

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TAGGED: RELIGION