IN THE WAKE OF King Charles III’s visit to the United States, the Diocese of Orange received an aristocratic visitor of its own recently. His Royal Highness Emanuele Filiberto of Savoy, Prince of Piedmont and of Venice, came to the Christ Cathedral campus on May 1. The prince is a member of the House of Savoy, Italy’s former royal family, and is the grandson of H.M. King Umberto II, the last king of Italy.
AFTER HIS ROYAL HIGHNESS EMANUELE FILIBERTO’S FORMAL VISIT TO THE MUSEUM, WHICH INCLUDED A LUNCH WITH BISHOP KEVIN VANN, A SPECIAL BENEFIT GALA WAS HELD AT THE JONATHAN CLUB IN DOWNTOWN LOS ANGELES THAT RAISED APPROXIMATELY $150,000 FOR THE NONPROFIT MUSEUM. PHOTOS BY IAN TRAN/DIOCESE OF ORANGE
The prince, alongside a small contingent of his guests, was given a private tour of “The Shroud of Turin: An Immersive Experience,” the cathedral’s newly opened 10,000 square-foot museum with 360-degree theaters, interactive displays, sacred art, life-sized Shroud replicas and other exhibits.
Although Filiberto claims to be no expert on the Shroud — believed by many to be the burial cloth of Jesus Christ — his family has an intimate relationship with the linen. For more than 500 years, the House of Savoy were owners and stewards of the Shroud of Turin, which was formally bequeathed to the Holy See only after the 1983 death of King Umberto II.
“The Shroud has been in my family for centuries,” said Filiberto. “When you are in front of the Shroud, you know something is happening.”
Rather than considering themselves “owners” of the cloth, Filiberto saw his family as its “custodians,” with a sacred trust as caretakers through the centuries. The House acquired the linen in France in 1453, eventually transporting it to Turin, Italy, where it has been kept ever since.
ON MAY 1 AND 2, “THE SHROUD OF TURIN: AN IMMERSIVE EXPERIENCE” AT CHRIST CATHEDRAL HOSTED HIS ROYAL HIGHNESS EMANUELE FILIBERTO OF SAVOY, PRINCE OF PIEDMONT AND OF VENICE. THE PRINCE IS THE GRANDSON OF H.M. II, THE LAST KING OF ITALY, AND A MEMBER OF THE SAVOY FAMILY WHO SAFEGUARDED THE SHROUD OF TURIN FOR CENTURIES UNTIL FORMALLY GIVING IT TO THE HOLY SEE IN 1983.
“I look at it in a humble way,” Filiberto said. “I am proud of what my grandfather did.”
Despite his self-proclaimed lack of expertise, the prince spoke with some authority about several theories and analyses surrounding the linen over the years, including that it showed evidence of a shoulder dislocation.
The Shroud of Turin is believed to be the most studied single artifact in human history, with experts across science and theology still debating its facts, fiction, confounding aspects and enduring mystery.
After watching the presentations that make up the cathedral’s Shroud Experience. Filiberto said he gained a lot of newfound knowledge. “It was an amazing experience,” he said. “I learned so much.”
In the midst of the ongoing — and possibly never-to-end — science and debate surrounding the Shroud of Turin, Filiberto said for him the answers of the Shroud’s mysteries boil down to faith.
“You must believe,” he said. “I don’t even try to understand.”
EXCLUSIVE ACCESS
Jon Storbeck, executive director of the Shroud Experience, thanked Filiberto and his family for their generosity.
“What your family has done is just extraordinary,” he said to the prince while the two stood in the museum. “Without the House of Savoy, we wouldn’t be here.”
Storbeck, along with Terry McGaughan, president of the nonprofit funding and operating the museum, helped lead the royal contingent through the theaters that tell the story of Jesus leading up to His crucifixion, the history and mysteries of the Shroud, and the Resurrection.
After the tour, the group had lunch with Bishop Kevin Vann and other diocesan leaders. Before entering the first theater, the prince was shown a framed display of a letter he sent to museum operators that was accompanied by a photo of his family during an audience with Pope John Paul II. At the time of the picture, Filiberto and his father were still in exile from Italy, a conflict stemming from the family’s World War II-era relationship with Benito Mussolini.
Filiberto continues to represent his house and family at a number of functions internationally and leads the Dynastic Orders of the Royal House of Savoy, which are Catholic chivalric groups that help fund humanitarian charities and aid.
The prince was in Southern California to represent his family at a spring charity gala hosted by one of Savoy’s orders. The gala on May 2 at the Jonathan Club in Los Angeles raised approximately $150,000 for the Shroud Experience.
Daniel McClory, a board member of the American Foundation of Savoy Orders, noted that the Jonathan Club event proceeds will sponsor field trips for economically disadvantaged youth to the Shroud museum.
Although Filiberto said his family was a “dying piece” of the Shroud of Turin’s saga, he was excited for the opportunity to help introduce and educate today’s youth on the relic, its history and spiritual significance.
“We can bring them here to try and understand,” he said. “If we take 100 kids and one is transformed, then it’s worth it.”