Throughout Lent this year, the St. John Paul II National Shrine in Washington, D.C., is hosting an exhibit on the Shroud of Turin that suggests a startling observation: The imprint made on what tradition tells us is the burial cloth of Jesus shows an “upright man” suspended in midair.

The exhibit is based in part on research and analysis conducted by Dr. Gilbert Lavoie, author of The Shroud of Jesus: And the Sign John Ingeniously Concealed, published by Sophia Press in 2023.

According to Lavoie, his observations about the bloodstains and image on the shroud not only bolster the case for the relic’s authenticity but show that it was a miraculous “sign” alluded to in the Gospel of John.   

It is fitting that the exhibit on the Shroud of Turin is being held at the St. John Paul II National Shrine since the late Pope did much to boost the credibility of the shroud as an object worthy of veneration. 

During his 1998 visit to Turin for a public exposition of the shroud, he offered encouragement to pilgrims who had traveled to the northern Italian city for a glimpse of the relic. Calling the shroud “a mirror of the Gospel” and “a unique sign that points to Jesus,” Pope John Paul commended the faith of those venerating the shroud but made no claims for the bloodstained cloth’s authenticity.  

John Paul added, however, that the shroud represented a “challenge to our intelligence” and called on scientists to continue to engage in a rigorous examination of the relic. 

The exhibit at the shrine includes a replica of the shroud, a three-dimensional sculpture of Jesus based on the image on the shroud, as well as informational panels on the history and scientific research on the relic, including Lavoie’s research on the “upright man.”  

The Register interviewed Lavoie about his findings and their significance: 

The new exhibit at the St. John Paul II Shrine presents your scientific analysis of the bloodstains and image on the shroud, suggesting that Jesus was upright when the imprint was made. Can you explain this finding and its implications?

For years, I thought that the image of the man of the shroud was that of a man laid out in burial. However, as I studied the anatomy of the man’s image, I realized that I had been mistaken. In contrast to the blood marks, which are consistent with that of a crucified dead man who had been taken down from his vertical position of crucifixion and placed supine in burial, the shroud image is of a man who is upright as if lifted up in midair. 

The evidence came from the front and back positive image of the shroud. For example, the man’s hair flows down to his shoulders and down his back. The hair follows the pull of gravity and is consistent with the image of a man who is upright. The back of the image reveals more. When either a corpse or a living person is observed lying down on their back, the upper back, buttocks and lower legs are flattened. 

I first came across that in anatomy class in medical school. I remember how it surprised me when I first turned over the body. Position and gravity determine the form of the body. In contrast, the back of the image of the man of the shroud is not flattened but has the rounded form consistent with an upright man. He is upright, but not standing. His feet are crossed, and it looks as if he is suspended in midair. What is the implication? When I realized that this image was that of an upright man, for me this was an epiphany — bringing me to understand that this image is the reflection of the moment of the Resurrection.  

 

You argue that the shroud appears in the Gospel of John. Can you explain the connections between John’s account and the evidence presented in the exhibit? 

Bringing the discovery of the upright man into the life of Jesus was the key that opened the door into new insights regarding the Gospel of John. As I looked at the image, I could not understand why he was lifted up in midair. I knew further medical, forensic pursuit would not give me answers. So I decided to go to the Gospels and see if I could find some answers about the raised man of the shroud. When I read the following words of Jesus in the Gospel of John I was amazed: “And I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all people to myself” (John 12:32).

It describes exactly what I see on the shroud. That was, however, just the start. In time, I realized that John could not directly write about the shroud image in his Gospel because, as a Jew, he knew that human images were considered objects of idolatry and would be sought out and destroyed by his countrymen. Instead, he ingeniously connected the burial tomb, the death of Jesus, and the cleansing of the Temple narratives, all which reflected what he saw in the tomb — the raised image of Jesus on his shroud.  

 

How do these new findings contribute to the debate over the shroud’s authenticity? 

First of all, all the blood marks that we see on the shroud are absolutely consistent with what John states about Jesus’ torture, crucifixion, death and Jewish burial. These consistencies thus give us further evidence that John did indeed see the lifted Jesus on his shroud in the tomb. And those details are all found in my book, The Shroud of Jesus: And the Sign John Ingeniously Concealed. 

What we call miracles or supernatural events John calls signs, and Jesus calls them works of the Father. John makes it clear that signs are very important to him, to his generation, and to future generations. According to John’s witness, Jesus’ works are the visual testimony, the physical proof, that Jesus is the presence of God in the world. Several times in John’s Gospel, Jesus tells us that he did these works so that all could come to know that he was sent by the Father and that he is in the Father and the Father is in him — that he is the Son of God. 

So, what is the sign that John ingeniously concealed? It is the image of the lifted Jesus of the shroud that John saw in the tomb. It is a sign that Jesus predicted 2,000 years ago in the Temple of Jerusalem and left on his shroud. That visual sign, which we can see today, shows the world Jesus is the Son of God. Knowing that John saw the shroud contributes greatly to the understanding that the shroud is authentic. 

 

 MORE INFORMATION
Exhibit: ‘Lord, You Could Not Love Me More!’ St. John Paul II and the Shroud of Turin
Where: The St. John Paul II Shrine, Washington, DC
When: Through Easter Sunday 2025
Hours: Monday-Friday, from 10 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.; Saturday-Sunday, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Price: There is no admission fee.
For further information, visit the St. John Paul II National Shrine’s website.

READ MORE
Buy the book at EWTNRC.com.

 

LEARN ABOUT THE SHROUD ON EWTN The Man of the Shroud will air April 14 at 11:30 p.m. ET., with a reairing on April 17 at 10 p.m. ET; Unlocking the Secrets of the Shroud will air April 15 at 11:30 p.m., with a reairing April 18 at 6 p.m. ET. The Holy Winding Sheet: Exploring the Shroud of Turin will air April 17 at 8 p.m. ET, with a reairing April 18 at 8 a.m. and April 19 at 1 a.m. Learn more at EWTN.com.