POPE PRAYS AT TURIN SHROUD : Dodges questions of authenticity
ITALY - Pope Francis prayed on Sunday before the mysterious shroud some Christians believe is Jesus's burial cloth but skirted the issue of its authenticity, saying it should remind people of all suffering & persecution. On his first day of a visit to the northern industrial city of Turin, he defended migrants flocking to Europe to escape war & injustice, saying it " makes one cry " to see them mistreated. He also spoke of the city's 19th century reputation as a center of devil worship & anti-clericalism, saying today's young people faced new snares of high unemployment, drugs & unbridled consumerism. Francis was the latest of many popes to view the shroud, which is usually kept locked out of sight & is on display for only the third time in 17 years. Over a million people have seen it in two months.
After praying for several minutes before the cloth that has baffled scientists for decades, he touched its glass case & moved on to say Mass for 60,000 people. There he said the Shroud should spur people to reflect not only on Jesus but also on " the face of every suffering & unjustly persecuted person." The Roman Catholic Church has not taken an official position on the cloth bearing an image, reversed like a photographic negative, of a man with the wounds of a crucifixion. It shows the back & front of a bearded man, his arms crossed on his chest. It is marked by what appear to be rivulets of blood from wounds in the wrists, feet & side. Sceptics say it is a masterful medieval forgery & carbon dating tests in 1988 dated it between 1260 & 1390, but some have challenged the accuracy of those tests.
FULL REPORT : Reuters ( June 21 , 2015 )
PROPHECY INSIGHTS - Considered to be a new-age reformist & even a Papal revolutionary , Pope Francis has brought new vigour , perspective & soaring popularity to the Roman Catholic Church , but he nevertheless remains an ardent traditionalist when it comes to the ' mystical sorceries ' that are the hallmark of the Catholic faith. In the news report above , we see the current Pope's visit to the Shroud of Turin , a controversial relic claimed by the Vatican to be the actual burial cloth of the Lord Jesus Christ. Sadly , it is just one among the many false inventions of the Papacy used to deceive the naive & the vulnerable. Other Vatican frauds include countless instances of statues mysteriously weeping & bleeding , innumerable pieces of the cross & so-called relics of saints ; this even includes the bones , ashes , clothes & personal effects of the Apostles & other holy people , all reverenced & venerated by the church as either ' miracles ' or authentic religious icons , used to beguile the masses.
For the ' true ' followers of Christ , these fraudulent icons are an unmistakable sign of the identity of the true ' man of sin ' & the apostate religious system that for centuries has corrupted the true teachings of Christ & God's truths. The apostle Paul clearly fore-warned of this godless imposter who would exalt himself above all , using ' signs & lying wonders ' to deceive , but who would ultimately be destroyed by the Lord Jesus Christ himself. As we see Pope Francis extend the Vatican's global power & influence , we know its fearful day of judgment also draws near . . .
2 Thess 2v3-11 - Let no man deceive you by any means : for that day shall not come , except there come a falling away first & that man of sin be revealed , the son of perdition ; Who opposeth & exalteth himself above all that is called God or that is worshipped ; so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God , shewing himself that he is God. Remember ye not , that , when I was yet with you , I told you these things ? . . . For the mystery of iniquity doth already work : only he who now letteth will let , until he be taken out of the way. Then shall that wicked ( one ) be revealed , whom the Lord shall consume with the spirit of his mouth & shall destroy with the brightness of his coming : Even him whose coming is after the working of Satan with all power & signs & lying wonders & with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish ; because they received not the love of the truth , that they might be saved. For this cause God shall send them strong delusion , that they should believe a lie :