Moths Eat Shroud of Turin

Fr. Guido Sarducci, curator of the Holy Shroud, has announced that the shroud has been destroyed by an infestation of moths. Fr. Sarducci said that they “came out of nowhere.” He added that there were “hordes of them. So thick that we could not reach the reliquary even by destroying them with flamethrowers.” Due to the efforts to save the shroud, the Chapel of the Holy Shroud was heavily damaged and Turin Cathedral is now closed for repairs. Fr. Sarducci himself is in hospital awaiting surgery for a sprained face. “I shouted too much,” he said. “I was choking on moths and could not make myself heard over the roar of wings.”

Dr. Giovanni Bugiardo of the Papal Commision for Unusual and Apocalyptic Events, which is charged with management of peculiar instances and negative miracles, has said that “on a preliminary basis, we have identified this as a possible negative miracle.” He continued that the event qualifies for an official investigation because “there is no scientific or even rational possibility that such a thing could happen.” The case will be put before the Vatican’s Miracle Commission.

Scientists have gathered the carcasses of over sixty thousand of the moths, which were recovered by the Turin Cathedral’s Commisione Specialista di Insetti. It is hoped that microsurgery can be performed to remove their stomach contents and reassemble the shroud. The project is expected to be completed by April 1 of next year.

The church rarely recognizes negative miracles, but when such a miracle is confirmed, the pope dresses in a black shroud for seventeen days while the site of the event is cleansed of demons. 

Image Credit:  Father Guido Sarducci

News Source: Shroud of Turin Website