RU 14/2011 - ARGENTEUIL/France: Week-end of the Holy Tunic

ARGENTEUIL/FRANCE (ru; April 11th, 2011). - In a world of disarray (Fukushima, Ivoiry Coast, Libya, Arab world, Euro, blasphemies, genocide by abortion… ), it’s yet happening that signs appear showing that the Kingdom of God is "arriving”. A very small one of these signs, for those who know to see and understand them, took place during a full weekend at Argenteuil, a city 10 km north of Paris, which houses since over 12 centuries the Holy Tunic of Our Lord, soaked with the Precious Blood of His Passion.

On the first day of that week-end, Saturday April 9th, a symposium entitled "The Holy Tunic of Argenteuil and the other Relics of Christ", took place from 10 A.M. to 6 P.M. at the “Hotel of Europe”, a relatively poor place near  the railway station of Argenteuil, since the socialist municipality had refused all its conference rooms to the organizer of the symposium, the association COSTA (UNEC). There were some 70 participants. After two slide shows illustrating the story and the sites of the Relic of the Holy Tunic of Argenteuil, as well as of the Sandals of Christ at Püm in Germany, 7 lecturers, from France, Italy and Austria, spoke: Pierre Dor on the medieval documents certifying the authenticity of the Holy Tunic of Argenteuil ; Marcel Alonso, who made the point of the various modern scientific research works on the Shroud of Turin; and especially professor Giulio Fanti from the university of Padova in Italy (represented by one of his disciples Mrs. Traudl Wally) who revealed what is still largely unknown to the public and even ignored for the moment by the Vatican: the image of the Holy Face of Christ on the rear side of the Shroud, photographed for the first time during the restoration work on the Shroud in 2002. This discovery renders obsolete practically all scientific explanations of the image which have been presented up to now, and makes probable a sort of “Crown effect" (electrical theory proposed by Scheuermann-Fanti), which could be the result of a major event such as the Resurrection of Christ. By this fact the Shroud of Turin becomes not only a witness of Christ's Passion, as the Tunic of Argenteuil, but also of his Resurrection. Thus science can become a herald of the faith, especially when dealing with the modern hyper-sceptical world. The afternoon was first dedicated to the presentation and the study of the Relic "de Sandalis Christi" kept since Pippin the Short, the father of Charlemagne, in the Carolingian Abbey of Prüm in Germany, very close to the boarder with Luxembourg. A team of French researchers, including professors +Andre Marion and Gerard Lucotte, assisted by the association COSTA (UNEC), achieved to undertake some research work by optical analysis and application of adhesive patches, finding pollen and other objects probably originating from the Holy Land. The Relic is presented as a ceremonial pontifical shoe of the Merovingian period, on which some original leather pieces of the Sandals of Christ appear to be covered with a layer of gold. In fact the Relic had been handed over by the pope Zacharias to Pippin the Short to seal the new alliance between the papacy and the new dynasty of the Francs, replacing in some way the ancient alliance with Constantinople. Thus this Relic is practically the foundation of the Christian Europe created by the Carolingians. At the same time this alliance has protected the popes from the attacks by the Lombards, Muslims and even the Byzantines, a forerunner of the Vatican State of today. Then Mrs. Marie-Claire van Oosterwijck intervened by a written document on the theme: "The C14 tests, what is remaining of them 20 years later? ", showing again the intrinsic impossibility to apply the procedure C14 to the Relics, even if some "researchers", probably wanting to play in the court of the "scientifically correct" ones, yet are incensing this method in one form or another, as if it was a serious procedure and not a permanent weapon in the hands of the enemies of Christ and his Church. Then Rev. Fr. Francois Le Quéré, former chancellor of the bishopric of Pontoise and historian of the Holy Tunic of Argenteuil, presented his studies on the history of the Holy Tunic in the first century. Mrs. Traudl Wally, from Vienna/Austria, then opened the religious perspectives on the discoveries of the Shroud of Turin, and Jacques Burel concluded the day with a call for a militant defence of the authenticity of the Shroud of Turin and its Holy Face, organizing the multiple dispatch of postcards to the Holy Father with the humble request that he declare the authenticity of this "Relic", as well as a crusade of prayers for the re-enthronement of Christ King face to a world that has become agnostic and un-Christian, and even satanic.

The next day, Sunday, April 10th, First Sunday of the Passion of O.L. Jesus Christ, COSTA organized in the afternoon its annual pilgrimage to the Holy Tunic of Argenteuil, a kind of concrete and believing outcome of the rather scientific and theoretical works of the eve. There were almost 300 pilgrims who came mainly from the Val-d Oise province (near Paris), but also from Germany, Austria and Ukraine. The procession through the Centre of Argenteuil, a city with 60 per cent of immigrants (especially Muslims) and managed by a red municipality, with cross of procession, banners, scouts and nuns, and above all with 3 priests (of the SSPX), under a wonderfully shining spring sun, was again a surprise for the city and its inhabitants who, however, had known these processions throughout the Middle Ages since the first exposition of the Holy Tunic at Argenteuil in the year 1156 by the bishop Hugues of Amiens. Many of the onlooking people had never heard of the Tunic of Christ on which the town is literally built. It’s true that even the religious authorities don’t talk any more  about it, wishing perhaps – wrongly - to 'clean up' the Church of the traces of time and replace them by guitars and other modernist gesticulations which are literally pushing the last believers out of the churches, which results in closing or "centralizing" these churches one after the other. Arrived at the Basilica the faithful were able to participate inside in the Path of the Cross, and recite and sing, kneeling before the Holy Relic, the ancient songs and prayers dedicated to it. The attending people were informed that, beyond this annual pilgrimage, there are the "pilgrims of the day". If one wishes to become pilgrim of the day, he should take contact with COSTA (Unec), indicating a day of the month when he can ensure, during 12 months, a private visit to the Holy Tunic to pray the Rosary in front of this invaluable treasure of the Love of God, on what COSTA assigns a "card of the pilgrim of the day". Already several tens of families are participating in this action, a kind of "honour guard" in front of the miraculous Holy Tunic. "If only I touch the fringe of his garment, I shall be healed", had uttered the woman in the Gospel, and thanks to her faith she was healed.

Two concrete projects arose from this double day in honour of the Relics of Christ:
1)    the enlargement of the annual pilgrimage to the Holy Tunic of Argenteuil for next year, inviting this time all Christians from the northern part of France, and not only those of the Isle-of-France (around Paris). On this occasion will also be organized a petition to have a holy Mass in the rite Pius V which, according to the new regulations of the bishops of France, must be signed by at least 50 signatories residing at Argenteuil itself. Thus the pilgrimage could be crowned by a solemn mass on the privileged altar of the Holy Tunic inside of the Basilica of Argenteuil, an altar where no mass has been celebrated since more than 50 years. If one regrets that the graces are rare in France, one should search them where they are flowing in abundance.
2)    A French-German symposium on "The Relics of the Christ, foundation of Christian Europe ", to be organized at Prüm in Germany in the year 2013, in preparation of the Carolingian year 2014. Seven lecturers could deal with this topic: if possible 2 from France, 2 from Germany, 1 from Belgium where Charlemagne was born, 1 from Austria, and 1 from Italy. As this year at Argenteuil, the symposium of Prüm could be concluded the next day (Sunday) by a pilgrimage to the Relic of the Sandals of Christ at Prüm, gage and seal of our Christian Europe to be (re)built.

PS: Coordinates of COSTA (UNEC): BP 70114, F-95210 Saint-Gratien, Ph/Fax+33-(0)134120268, unec@wanadoo.fr , www.radio-silence.tv (section COSTA-COELI).