Christ can be seen in faces of all people, pope says at sanctuary

Published: 2006-09-01

MANOPPELLO, Italy (CNS) -- All Christians should be on a never-ending search for Christ, who can be seen in the faces of all people, especially the poor and needy, Pope Benedict XVI said. To be drawn and transformed by the splendor of Jesus' face is to live in God's presence on earth, the pope said during a brief visit Sept. 1 to the Sanctuary of the Holy Face in this small city some 120 miles east of Rome. Some scholars believe the sanctuary houses "Veronica's Veil," the cloth used by Veronica to wipe Christ's face prior to his crucifixion and which, according to tradition, now contains the image of Christ's face. "We will be filled with the presence of God" by imitating the lives of the saints who lovingly recognized the face of Jesus in their brothers and sisters, "especially the poorest and those most in need," Pope Benedict said. The pope flew by helicopter early in the morning from his summer home at the papal villa in Castel Gandolfo to visit the church that houses the 7-inch-by-9.5-inch transparent veil that portrays the image of a male face with long hair and a beard. Studies have found no pigments or paints were used to create the image.

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