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maltatoday, SUNDAY, 26 APRIL 2015 24 Letters Send your letters to: The Editor, MaltaToday, MediaToday Ltd. Vjal ir-Rihan, San Gwann SGN 9016 | Fax: (356) 21 385075 E-mail: newsroom@mediatoday.com.mt. Letters to the Editor should be concise. No pen names are accepted. The bogus relic The Turin shroud is a forgery. Carbon dating tests by laboratories in Oxford, Zurich, and Tucson, Arizona "determined that the fibres in the cloth date from the Middle Ages, sometime between 1260 and 1390". In fact, the shroud was discovered in the French city of Troyes, southeast of Paris, in the mid-14th century. Pope Benedict described it as an "icon written in blood". But he did not say whose blood it was. The im- age on the shroud shows the face of an older man rather than the face of a man in his early 30s, as Jesus is alleged to have been when he was crucified. If the shroud were genuine, it would produce more "miracles" than the "arm bones" of St Paul and St George combined! Prof. Luigi Garlaschelli, an organic chemist at the University of Pavia, reproduced the full-size shroud with materials and tech- niques that were available in the Middle Ages. He said that his feat proved that the Turin shroud was a medieval forgery. The accuracy of the three independent laboratory tests was challenged by some hard-core believers who claimed that the restora- tion of the shroud in past centuries had "contaminated" the re- sults. Let them produce the evidence for this contamination, such as, when and how was it contaminated, and by whom? What these believers assert without evidence can also be dismissed without evidence. Until then, the results of three independent laborato- ries still stand. If some Catholics cannot accept the scientific evidence, it's their problem! John Guillaumier St Julian's In his warped logic on the local council elections, Simon Busuttil compares the votes polled by the PL in 2012 and those polled on Saturday, 11 April, 2015, showing a reduction from the 17% gap in 2012 to the 9% gap in 2015. Using the same yardstick, the PN had also reduced the gap on 13 March, 2013, when the gap had been reduced from 17% during the local elections of 2012, to an 11% gap in the general election of 2013! How come the PN had not cel- ebrated also then, when losing the election but reducing the percent- age gap between the two parties? The answer is very simple. Busuttil and his leadership col- leagues are trying to console their hardcore supporters in order to ensure that no one dares challenge Busuttil's position as leader, if not their position too! Eddy Privitera Mosta I refer to the news report titled 'Simon survives in Labour's 54% win' by pointing out that in a separate news report dealing with local elections as reported in 'Times of Malta', April 17, 2015, Labour sources said that the Labour Party was 'confident of, at least, maintaining the overall 57 per cent majority achieved in the same localities in 2012' and also, went on to say that 'there was also hope of making gains...'. Since the Labour Party obtained only 53.5 per cent of the vote in this round and since, also, the 17-point gap of three years ago dropped to nine points, one won- ders why Prime Minister Joseph Muscat seemed to be happy with this result and was seen laughing his head off at Marsa. One can conclude by telling him that so am I and countless other Nationalist supporters. Edward Torpiano Floriana There has been a mixed reaction to the election of Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger as Pope. The news was warmly received by practicing Catholics while persons who hope to see reform in the Catholic Church gave lukewarm greetings or were visibly upset. From outside the Church especially in northern Europe, an irreverent hostil- ity has marked the first moments of his papacy. His image is that of a man of the mind rather than of the heart, a man who destroyed liberation theology and who has been the standard bearer of the traditional doctrine of the Church. Essentially a conservative, he has opposed the ordination of women priests, the life style of gays, while championing priests' celibacy. Many are questioning whether his rigid doctrinaire stance contrasts too vehemently and harshly with the lifestyle of an ever-growing secular society. Many are asking whether as a rigid conservative he is out of step with the times. In contrast to his predecessors Pope Ben- edict XVI is a known quantity, his beliefs are transparently expressed in his writings, he does not mince his words and much to his credit, he made known especially, dur- ing his homily to the late Pope John Paul, where he stands prior to his election by his peers. In electing him the cardinals knew who they were choosing, they chose for both continuity with his predecessors rule and conservation. His declaration about the dangers of the dictatorship of relativ- ism and the individuality of truth, though shocking in the secular world are music to the ears of practicing Catholics who seek certainty. To this extent he is a rock. His message is clear, being a member of the Catholic Church involves difficult choices. No space for a la carte personal decisions. He believes in substance and disdains ap- pearances. The Church will be asking its faithful to look inwards and to ask the most pressing questions about their faith. The Church will ask for commitment rather than succumbing to calls for it to change. To this extent we believe he will win the respect of many, but risks alienating too, especially those in post-modern secular societies. The Church's ultra-rigid stand on contraception, HIV and AIDs risks margin- alising many people especially the young in the Church. It would be a pity, if these condemnations were not rethought. This is most unlikely to be the Ratzinger way. Having said that, in his first days he is softening his image. His warm praise of his predecessor, his public appearances, his reaching out and commitment to work for dialogue both within the Church and with other Christian dominations are most praiseworthy. This willingness is symbol- ised in his choice of name Benedict, the patron Saint of Europe and the believer in the unity of Christian churches. The election of a person of his age, the oldest in the last three hundred years was a clear message in favour of continuity and for placing the challenges of modernity on the back-burner. The Church can delay hard decisions but with the passage of time - it is unlikely any radical changes will be introduced before the election of the next Pope - questions must eventually be placed on the Vatican agenda. Rigid dogmas that demonise certain aspects of modern life- styles risk marginalising a growing number of people who yearn for understanding from a compassionate church. This is the challenge facing Pope Benedict XVI. Time will tell whether his humanity and compas- sion will reign over his strict defence of Catholic orthodoxy. Ratzinger's position since his election as Pope has changed. He is no longer exclusively the prefect of the congregation of the doctrine of the Church. He is now the head of the Church which places upon him the responsibility to deal with the concerns and problems of all his flock. He is the bonus pater familias of the church. He cannot simply ignore the concerns of some of his flock. His greatest challenge and indeed his legacy may turn out to be the way he tackles secularisation, especially in Europe. A man of the mind Editorial • 24 April 2005 Consoling the PN Closing the gap Pope Benedict XVI is a known quantity, his beliefs are transparently expressed in his writings, he does not mince his words