Why the Church Handles Relics With Such Care

Relics have long stirred curiosity, devotion, and controversy. Critics often question why the Catholic Church venerates physical objects at all. Yet Scripture itself hints at the deep human desire to touch what is holy: the “face cloth” associated with St. Paul in Acts, or the hem of Jesus’s garment that healed a woman in the Gospels. These are not mere props in a story—they are signs of God’s power mediated through the material world.

By the sixth century, Pope Pelagius II affirmed a belief already widespread among the faithful: that even ordinary objects placed near the tomb of a saint could share in that saint’s sanctifying power. The early Church saw this not as superstition, but as a continuation of biblical logic. After all, the bones of the prophet Elisha brought a dead man back to life, and St. Helena’s discovery of the True Cross was confirmed, according to tradition, when a corpse touched the wood and rose again.

But how do we know if a relic is real?

It’s a question as old as relics themselves. The Middle Ages produced both profound devotion and notorious frauds—multiple “heads” of St. John the Baptist, for instance. The Church has always sought to preserve what is genuine, but it also recognizes the spiritual danger of error. A false relic can mislead the faithful; a mishandled investigation can cause scandal.

Today, scientific tools such as carbon dating, textile analysis, and historical forensics can assist in determining authenticity. But these methods come with risks. Testing can damage fragile relics, and a single flawed sample can mislead the world—as happened with the Shroud of Turin. Its infamous 1988 carbon dating labeled it a medieval forgery, only for later research to show that the sample had been taken from a medieval repair patch. The corrected dating, pointing to the first century, made far fewer headlines.

The Church’s Slow, Careful Work

Sacred relics fall into three traditional classes: first class – a saint’s body or fragments of it (bone, blood, hair); second class – objects personally used by the saint; and, third class – items that touched a first- or second-class relic.

Authenticating any of these requires prudence. The Church must protect both the relic itself and the faith of the people who venerate it. This is why investigations often move slowly, and why some relics remain sealed for centuries.

The Veronica Veils

Which Relic Is True—and Why the Debate Still Matters.

As the Vatican Museums take bold steps toward transparency in the study of relics, many hope this spirit of inquiry will extend to other contested treasures. Few debates have been as heated—or as spiritually fraught—as the question of the two “Veronica Veils”: the veil kept in St. Peter’s Basilica and the veil venerated in Manoppello, Italy.

For decades, these two images of the Holy Face have divided devotees. Some insist that the Church’s authority on the devotion ended with Pope Leo XIII, dismissing later developments: the scientific discoveries surrounding the Shroud of Turin, the theological reflections of Pope St. John Paul II, the writings of Pope Benedict XVI, and the pastoral encouragement of Pope Francis. This selective reading of history has made dialogue difficult, even among the faithful who share a deep love for the Face of Christ.

Ultimately, it will fall to the Church—not private groups, not individual scholars—to decide whether further investigation is warranted. What many hope for is simple: clarity, provenance, and peace.

The Legend Behind the Name “Veronica”

To understand the debate, one must first understand the word Veronica itself. Contrary to popular belief, “Veronica” originally referred not to a woman, but to an image: vera icon, the “true icon” of Christ’s face. Over centuries, pious legends grew around a compassionate woman who offered her veil to Jesus on the way to Calvary. These stories—beautiful, moving, and spiritually fruitful—emerged in the Middle Ages, long after the earliest depictions of the Holy Face had already circulated.

The Catholic Encyclopedia puts it succinctly:

“These pious traditions cannot be documented, but there is no reason why the belief that such an act of compassion did occur should not find expression in the veneration paid to one called Veronica.”

Pope St. John Paul II reflected deeply on these legends when he dedicated the Great Jubilee of 2000 to the Face of Christ. For him, the Veronica was not merely a relic but a symbol of the Church’s mission: to contemplate, reveal, and bear Christ’s face to the world.

The Proto-Image Question

The authenticity of the Vatican’s Veronica has been questioned in light of extensive historical research pointing to the Veil of Manoppello as the possible “proto-image”—the model for early icons, mosaics, and manuscript illuminations of the Holy Face. Works such as the Liber Regulae Sancta Spiritus in Saxia and the Godescalc Evangelistary of 781 depict a face strikingly similar to the Manoppello veil.

This does not settle the matter, but it raises serious questions that deserve careful, charitable study.

The Church’s history is rich and complex. Over two millennia, hundreds—perhaps thousands—of images have been called “Veronicas.” Some are devotional copies. Some are imaginative interpretations. A few are considered acheiropoieta—images “not made by human hands.” But only one could be the original.

A Relic Lost? The Sack of Rome and the Vanishing of the Veronica

For centuries, pilgrims flocked to Rome to see the Veronica Veil. From the time Pope Innocent III first displayed it publicly in 1207, the veil was shown from both sides, its delicate transparency allowing viewers to see the Holy Face clearly. Artists produced countless copies for pilgrims seeking indulgences—and souvenirs.

Then came the Sack of Rome in 1527.

A letter from Urban, representative of the Duchess of Urbino, paints a devastating picture:

“Holy relics have been thrown out onto the streets. The Veronica has been stolen and passed around in taverns from person to person without a word of protest.”

The reliquary designed to display the veil between two crystal panes was found shattered. That reliquary—now in the Vatican Museums—remains a silent witness to the chaos.

After the Sack, the Veronica was no longer shown openly. In 1616, Pope Paul V forbade the creation of new copies without permission. Pope Urban VIII later ordered all existing copies to be surrendered under pain of excommunication. By 1629, a different image—darker, more rigid, almost death-like—was installed in the new Veronica Altar of St. Peter’s. It was kept behind an outer veil, and anyone who lifted that veil without papal approval faced excommunication.

From then on, the image was shown only once a year, from a distance of twenty meters. Devotion waned. The face no longer resembled the vibrant, living image that had inspired centuries of art.

The shift was so dramatic that many scholars believe the original may have been lost—or replaced—after 1527. Others argue that the Vatican veil is simply darkened by age. Still others point to Manoppello as the missing piece.

The truth remains unresolved.

Why This Debate Matters Today

The question of the Veronica Veils is not merely academic. It touches on the integrity of sacred tradition; the relationship between faith and science; the unity of the Church’s devotional life; and, the longing of believers to see the face of Christ

The Vatican Museums’ recent commitment to transparency—seen in their study of the tunics of St. Peter and St. John—offers hope that other relics may one day receive the same careful, respectful scrutiny.

For now, the Church proceeds with caution. Relics are fragile. Faith is even more so.

But the desire remains: to know the truth, to honor what is authentic, and to contemplate the Face that Christians believe reveals the very heart of God.

Which is the Original “True Image”

At the heart of the debate lies the question that has animated scholars, pilgrims, and popes for centuries: Which veil—if either—is the original “true image” of the Face of Christ? Two relics now stand at the center of this inquiry: the Vatican’s traditional “Veronica Veil” and the Il Volto Santo, the Holy Face of Manoppello.

Both claim ancient origins. Both inspire devotion. Both have stories marked by mystery, loss, and rediscovery.

The Vatican “Veronica Veil”

In 1849, during the exile of Pope Pius IX in Gaeta, the Pope ordered the public exposition of the Veronica Veil from Christmas to Epiphany—a moment of crisis for the Church and for Italy. The veil, long darkened to the point that no face could be discerned, suddenly appeared luminous on the third day of exposition. Witnesses described the image as if softly illuminated from within.

Pius IX invited artists to make copies of the image, which were then touched to the veil itself and to the relics of the Passion housed in the Veronica Pillar. These reproductions circulated widely and became associated with the revelations of Sr. Marie of St. Pierre, the Carmelite mystic of Tours—though she had died before the drawings were made. Many saw the “Epiphany Miracle” as a confirmation of her devotion to the Holy Face, even though her writings as a whole were never formally approved.

A layman, Léon Dupont—later known as the “Holy Man of Tours”—placed an oil lamp before one of these images in his home. Countless visitors sought healing there, and many reported cures through his intercession. St. Thérèse of the Child Jesus and the Holy Face kept a copy of the image pinned to her bed curtains as she lay dying. Her family belonged to the Archconfraternity of the Holy Face, a devotion that flourished into the early 20th century before fading from public life.

The Vatican veil, then, is not merely an artifact. It is woven into the spiritual history of saints, mystics, and ordinary believers who found consolation in the suffering yet merciful Face of Christ.

The “Il Volto Santo” of Manoppello

The other relic, the Holy Face of Manoppello, is unlike any known painting. The image appears on a delicate, transparent veil made of byssus—sea-silk, a rare and ancient fiber once reserved for emperors. Held between two panes of glass, the veil behaves like a “miracle of light”: the face appears, disappears, and shifts depending on angle and illumination. It is visible from both sides.

The features—open eyes, parted lips, wavy hair, a distinctive central lock—match centuries of artistic depictions of the Holy Face, including works predating the medieval legends of “Veronica.” Many scholars note striking similarities between the Manoppello veil and early representations of the Camuliana, the Mandylion, and the Image of Edessa—all ancient acheiropoieton traditions.

The veil was once larger; its edges show signs of having been trimmed. But the image itself bears no pigment, no brushstrokes, no detectable artistic medium. For this reason, it has been classified by some as an acheiropoieton—an image “not made by human hands.”

Among its most ardent defenders was the late Jesuit scholar Fr. Heinrich Pfeiffer, SJ, a respected professor of Christian art and a leading sindonologist. After decades of research, he traveled to Manoppello and immediately recognized the veil as the “proto-image” from which countless icons and depictions of the Veronica had been derived.

His announcement should have been a moment of joy. Instead, it ignited a firestorm.

A Scholar’s Cross: The Pfeiffer Controversy

When Fr. Pfeiffer presented his findings, he was met not with scholarly debate but with hostility. Critics accused him of fraud while refusing to examine his evidence. Requests by Pfeiffer and others to study the Vatican veil were denied by bureaucratic channels. The result was a stalemate—one that caused the Jesuit scholar deep personal suffering.

Yet he persisted. Until his death in 2021, Fr. Pfeiffer continued to write, teach, and testify to what he believed he had discovered: the long-lost original Veronica, preserved not in Rome but in a small Capuchin shrine in Abruzzo.

Meanwhile, pilgrims—from popes to peasants—continued to travel to Manoppello. Many speak of peace, healing, and a profound encounter with the living Face of Christ.

A Path Toward Light and Unity

The evidence from art history is abundant. The devotion is alive. But the controversy remains unresolved.

And it will remain so until the Church, with prudence and courage, chooses to examine both relics with the same transparency now being applied to the treasures of the Sancta Sanctorum. Only then can the faithful receive the clarity they long for.

For now, the two veils stand as mirrors of the Church’s own longing: to see the Face of Christ clearly, without shadow or division.

Pilgrims continue to climb the hill to Manoppello. Others kneel before the darkened veil in St. Peter’s. All seek the same thing: the Face that reveals the mercy of God.

May the day come when the Church can safely and confidently illuminate the truth—bringing peace, unity, and renewed devotion to the Holy Face of Jesus.

The Devotion to the Holy Face in the Philippines

The enthronement of the first reliquary of the Veil of the Holy Face was held on September 16, 2014, in Nampicuan, Nueva Ecija as a gift from the Basilica of the Shrine of the Holy Face in Manoppello. The international mission was accompanied by Fr Carmine Cucinelli, Rector of the Basilica of the Shrine of the Holy Face in Manoppello, along with Fr. Danilo Flores, a Filipino priest from the diocese of Rome and author Paul Badde, among others.

On September 12-20, 2015, another international mission was held in the Philippines, accompanied by Fr. Carmine Cucinelli and Fr. Bonifacio “Ted” Lopez, a Vatican based Bicolano priest. The image of the Holy Face was enthroned in separate ceremonies in San Martin de Porres Mission Church Orphanage, Bustos, Bulacan (September 12); Bethlehem House of Bread Mission Chapel, Baliuag, Bulacan (September 12); Our Lady of Perpetual Help Church, Buguias, Benguet; Sagrada Familia Parish, Taguig (September 14). The image was also venerated in Lipa, Quiapo, Baclaran, San Agustin, and Bagumbayan. More enthronements were completed in the Philippines in 2016-2017, in the Church of St. Bartholomew Apostle, Diocese of Calbayog (October 30); St Francis of Assisi Church, Meycauayan, Bulacan (November 13); Cathedral of Our Lady of the Atonement and The Pink Sisters Convent, Brent Road (November 30); Cathedral of St. Bartholomew Apostle, Samar (December 15), and Cathedral of Malolos (April 16, 2017).

On April 16, 2023, Fr. Ted celebrated the enthronement of the Holy Face, the first in Bicol, together with Our Lady of Guadalupe in St. Stephen Protomartyr, at his hometown of Ligao, Albay. Later on April 30 he was at the enthronement in San Agustin Pastoral Station, Sitio Centro, Barangay. Sapang Maragul, Tarlac City, presided by Bishop Francisco Macaraeg. Another enthronement was completed in November 2023 by Bishop Ruperto Santos, at the Diocesan Shrine of the Holy Face of Jesus of Manopello in Sampalog, Tanay, Rizal. This followed next at the Mother of Perpetual Help Parish in Molino, Bacoor, Cavite by Cardinal Chito Tagle on January 2024. 

On December 22, 2024, the reliquary bearing the Holy Face of Jesus was enthroned at the Archdiocese Shrine of Mary, Queen of Peace, popularly known as EDSA Shrine, in a ceremony led by Fr. Jerome Secillano, Shrine Rector, during the mass celebrating the 30th sacerdotal anniversary of Fr. Ted. The EDSA Shrine is popular among Marian devotees and church-goers from nearby Robinson’s Galleria Mall. It is interesting to note that the Trillion Peso March protests of 2025-2026 were held near this pilgrimage shrine.

The header shows a montage of 15th century classic paintings depicting Veronica’s Veil, two of which clearly show the characteristic folds found only on the Holy Veil of Manoppello. The sudarium or burial cloth that was placed over Jesus’ face in the tomb is described in John 20:7 as being rolled up separately from the linen shrouds. By tradition, it is believed that Mary, as his mother, would have held and treasured this veil as the image of her Son until her Ascension. (photo credits: IlluminaDomine.com).

This article was written by Jojo De Jesus for Dateline Ibalon based primarily on IlluminaDomine.com, a blog devoted to the Holy Face of Jesus by Patricia Enk, OCDS, Secular Discalced Carmelite of Mary, Spouse of the Holy Spirit Chapter in Covington, Louisiana. His other references also include manoppello.eu, voltosanto.it, books by Paul Badde “Holy Veil of Manoppello” and “The Face of God: The Rediscovery of the True Face of Jesus,” and finally, the Dateline Ibalon post about Fr. Bonifacio “Ted” Lopez.