Pope visits Shroud of Turin

POPE Benedict XVI is taking a break from dealing with the clerical sex abuse scandal to visit the Shroud of Turin, the linen with an image of a man on it that some believe is Christ’s burial cloth and others dismiss as a medieval fake.

Benedict arrived yesterday in the northern city of Turin, where spent the day celebrating Mass, meeting with young people and the infirm, and then praying before the Shroud.

The 14-foot-long, 3.5-foot-wide cloth has gone on public display for the first time since the 2000 Millennium celebrations.