{"id":19329,"date":"2021-12-23T10:28:36","date_gmt":"2021-12-23T10:28:36","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.ecoitaliano.com.ar\/?p=19329"},"modified":"2021-12-23T10:28:36","modified_gmt":"2021-12-23T10:28:36","slug":"la-scomparsa-di-p-heinrich-pfeiffer-il-grande-studioso-della-veronica-il-volto-santo-di-cristo","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.ecoitaliano.com.ar\/?p=19329","title":{"rendered":"La scomparsa di p. Heinrich Pfeiffer, il grande studioso della Veronica, il Volto Santo di Cristo"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.ecoitaliano.com.ar\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/Volto-Santo-foto-Paul-Badde_opt.jpg\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-19331\" src=\"http:\/\/www.ecoitaliano.com.ar\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/Volto-Santo-foto-Paul-Badde_opt.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"400\" height=\"577\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.ecoitaliano.com.ar\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/Volto-Santo-foto-Paul-Badde_opt.jpg 400w, https:\/\/www.ecoitaliano.com.ar\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/Volto-Santo-foto-Paul-Badde_opt-208x300.jpg 208w, https:\/\/www.ecoitaliano.com.ar\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/Volto-Santo-foto-Paul-Badde_opt-104x150.jpg 104w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 400px) 100vw, 400px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<div id='gallery-1' class='gallery galleryid-19329 gallery-columns-3 gallery-size-thumbnail'><figure class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<div class='gallery-icon landscape'>\n\t\t\t\t<a href='https:\/\/www.ecoitaliano.com.ar\/?attachment_id=19332'><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"150\" height=\"150\" src=\"https:\/\/www.ecoitaliano.com.ar\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/BENEDETTO-XVI-PFEIFFER-150x150.jpg\" class=\"attachment-thumbnail size-thumbnail\" alt=\"\" \/><\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/div><\/figure><figure class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<div class='gallery-icon portrait'>\n\t\t\t\t<a href='https:\/\/www.ecoitaliano.com.ar\/?attachment_id=19333'><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"150\" height=\"150\" src=\"https:\/\/www.ecoitaliano.com.ar\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/Veronica-Mirabilia-Urbis-1486-150x150.jpg\" class=\"attachment-thumbnail size-thumbnail\" alt=\"\" \/><\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/div><\/figure><figure class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<div class='gallery-icon portrait'>\n\t\t\t\t<a href='https:\/\/www.ecoitaliano.com.ar\/?attachment_id=19334'><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"150\" height=\"150\" src=\"https:\/\/www.ecoitaliano.com.ar\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/Villa-Badessa-150x150.jpg\" class=\"attachment-thumbnail size-thumbnail\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.ecoitaliano.com.ar\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/Villa-Badessa-150x150.jpg 150w, https:\/\/www.ecoitaliano.com.ar\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/Villa-Badessa-580x580.jpg 580w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 150px) 100vw, 150px\" \/><\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/div><\/figure>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\n<p class=\"western\" align=\"center\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Arial Narrow, serif;\"><span style=\"font-size: large;\"><b>LA SCOMPARSA DI P. HEINRICH PFEIFFER<\/b><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"western\" align=\"center\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Arial Narrow, serif;\"><b>I suoi studi avevano portato ad identificare la Veronica, la vera immagine di Cristo<\/b><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"western\" align=\"center\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Arial Narrow, serif;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\">di <\/span><\/span><\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Arial Narrow, serif;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\"><b>Antonio Bini<\/b><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"western\" align=\"justify\">\n<p class=\"western\" align=\"justify\"><a name=\"_Hlk89845115\"><\/a> <span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Arial Narrow, serif;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\">E\u2019 scomparso a Berlino <\/span><\/span><\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Arial Narrow, serif;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\"><b>p. Heinrich Wilhelm Pfeiffer<\/b><\/span><\/span><\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Arial Narrow, serif;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\">, gi\u00e0 docente di storia dell\u2019arte cristiana presso la Pontificia Universit\u00e0 Gregoriana di Roma e consigliere della Pontificia Commissione per i Beni Culturali della Chiesa, con papa Giovanni Paolo II. Era nato a <\/span><\/span><\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Arial Narrow, serif;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\"><b>Tubinga<\/b><\/span><\/span><\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Arial Narrow, serif;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\"> nel 1939. A lui si devono gli studi, iniziati negli anni ottanta, che portarono alla identificazione del Volto Santo di Manoppello nella Veronica, un tempo venerata in San Pietro. Le sue ricerche ebbero spunto dalle deduzioni di <\/span><\/span><\/span><em><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Arial Narrow, serif;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\"><b>Suor Blandina Paschalis Schl\u00f6mer<\/b><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/em><em><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Arial Narrow, serif;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\">, che aveva ritenuto del tutto sovrapponibile il <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/em><em><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Arial Narrow, serif;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\"><b>Volto Santo<\/b><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/em><em><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Arial Narrow, serif;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\"> con quello della <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/em><em><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Arial Narrow, serif;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\"><b>Sindone<\/b><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/em><em><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Arial Narrow, serif;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\">. Come ebbe a dirmi una volta, l\u2019intera sua vita \u2013 professionale e religiosa &#8211; \u00e8 stata dedita a comprendere quale fosse il prototipo dell\u2019immagine di Cristo sviluppata nell\u2019arte nel corso dei secoli. Nel 1986 pubblic\u00f2 in Italia il saggio \u201c<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/em><em><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Arial Narrow, serif;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\">L\u2019Immagine di Cristo nell\u2019arte<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/em><em><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Arial Narrow, serif;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\">\u201d, ed. Citt\u00e0 Nuova, sottolineando come si trattasse \u201cdi un tema davvero inesauribile\u201d, ed in effetti molto restava ancora da scrivere, a cominciare dagli studi che lo avrebbero interessato successivamente. Il saggio era stato precedentemente pubblicato in Germania e in Spagna. Proprio quell\u2019anno ebbe luogo il suo primo viaggio a Manoppello. Nel 1991 un primo approccio allo studio del Volto Santo venne pubblicato in Germania, con il titolo \u201cDas Turiner Grabtuch und das Cristusbild\u201d (La Sindone di Torino e l\u2019immagine di Cristo), ed. Knecht, Francoforte, scritto con il sindonologo tedesco <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/em><em><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Arial Narrow, serif;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\"><b>Werner Bulst. <\/b><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/em><\/p>\n<p class=\"western\" align=\"justify\"><em><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Arial Narrow, serif;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\">Le sue ricerche proseguirono negli anni successivi fino a quando <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/em><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Arial Narrow, serif;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\">furono presentate in una affollata conferenza stampa presso la Stampa Estera in Italia il 31 maggio 1999 e aprirono nuove prospettive alla divulgazione del <\/span><\/span><\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Arial Narrow, serif;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\"><b>Volto Santo<\/b><\/span><\/span><\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Arial Narrow, serif;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\"> nel mondo, ormai nell\u2019imminenza del Grande Giubileo del 2000, che aveva tra i suoi obiettivi anche quello di dimostrare la dimensione storica della figura di Cristo. Gli straordinari riflessi della comunicazione internazionale indussero il Comune di <\/span><\/span><\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Arial Narrow, serif;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\"><b>Manoppello<\/b><\/span><\/span><\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Arial Narrow, serif;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\"> a conferire allo studioso tedesco l\u20198 dicembre 1999 la <\/span><\/span><\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Arial Narrow, serif;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\"><b>cittadinanza onoraria<\/b><\/span><\/span><\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Arial Narrow, serif;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\"> del paese abruzzese. Nel corso del 2000 fu pubblicato il suo saggio \u201c<\/span><\/span><\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Arial Narrow, serif;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\"><i>Il Volto Santo di Manoppello<\/i><\/span><\/span><\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Arial Narrow, serif;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\">\u201d, ed. Carsa, Pescara, preceduto dalla prefazione del <\/span><\/span><\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Arial Narrow, serif;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\"><b>cardinale Fiorenzo Angelini<\/b><\/span><\/span><\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Arial Narrow, serif;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\">, il quale scrive \u201cdi una pubblicazione che contribuisce in maniera decisiva a far luce sul mistero della Veronica Romana, meta dei romei che nel Medioevo si recavano in pellegrinaggio alla tomba del Principe degli Apostoli\u201d. Il cardinale Angelini, era stato il fondatore e presidente dell&#8217;<\/span><\/span><\/span><em><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Arial Narrow, serif;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\">Istituto Internazionale di <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/em><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Arial Narrow, serif;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\">Ricerca sul\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/span><em><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Arial Narrow, serif;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\">Volto di Cristo (costituito a Roma<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/em><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Arial Narrow, serif;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\"> il 25 marzo 1997), che vedeva come collaboratore scientifico proprio <\/span><\/span><\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Arial Narrow, serif;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\"><b>p. Pfeiffer<\/b><\/span><\/span><\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Arial Narrow, serif;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\">. Il cardinale Angelini, al tempo unico cardinale romano, spieg\u00f2 di aver voluto seguire la sollecitazione di Giovanni Paolo II diretta a favorire gli studi sul volto di Cristo. E <\/span><\/span><\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Arial Narrow, serif;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\"><b>Giovanni Paolo II<\/b><\/span><\/span><\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Arial Narrow, serif;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\"> non manc\u00f2 di tenere conto di quanto emerso da quegli studi e dai ripetuti incontri con il cardinale Angelini, tanto da dedicare ampio spazio, nella lettera apostolica Novo Millennio Ineunte, diffusa il 6 gennaio 2001, a conclusione del Giubileo, il tema del Volto della ricerca e della contemplazione del volto di Cristo come missione per il terzo millennio. Tale argomento era del tutto assente nella lettera apostolica <\/span><\/span><\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Arial Narrow, serif;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\"><i>Tertio Millennio Adveniente<\/i><\/span><\/span><\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Arial Narrow, serif;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\">, diffusa il 10 novembre 1994 e introduttiva dell\u2019atteso Giubileo. <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"western\" align=\"justify\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Arial Narrow, serif;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\">Non era facile allora per <\/span><\/span><\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Arial Narrow, serif;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\"><b>p. Pfeiffer<\/b><\/span><\/span><\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Arial Narrow, serif;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\"> e ancor pi\u00f9 per il <\/span><\/span><\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Arial Narrow, serif;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\"><b>cardinale Angelini<\/b><\/span><\/span><\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Arial Narrow, serif;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\"> sostenere che la <\/span><\/span><\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Arial Narrow, serif;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\"><b>Veronica<\/b><\/span><\/span><\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Arial Narrow, serif;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\"> si trovasse a <\/span><\/span><\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Arial Narrow, serif;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\"><b>Manoppello<\/b><\/span><\/span><\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Arial Narrow, serif;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\">, innanzitutto per le consolidate situazioni che avevano portato il Varicano a non ammettere mai che la leggendaria immagine non era pi\u00f9 a Roma, in quanto scomparsa quasi sicuramente a seguito del <\/span><\/span><\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Arial Narrow, serif;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\"><b>Sacco di Roma<\/b><\/span><\/span><\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Arial Narrow, serif;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\">. A parte i convegni, il confronto veniva a svilupparsi anche sui media, nell\u2019editoria. Ricordo come m<\/span><\/span><\/span><span style=\"font-family: Arial Narrow, serif;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\">ons. Dario Rezza, canonico di San Pietro e quindi parte di quel ristretto numero di prelati scelti dal papa che curano la custodia delle reliquie di San Pietro, scrisse, per contrastare le ipotesi di p. Pfeiffer, un articolo dal titolo <\/span><\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Arial Narrow, serif;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\">\u00ab<\/span><\/span><\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Arial Narrow, serif;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\">N<\/span><\/span><\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Arial Narrow, serif;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\">ella Basilica di San Pietro \u00e8 custodita la reliquia pi\u00f9 famosa del mondo: il \u201csudario di Cristo\u201d\u00bb, pubblicato sul mensile <\/span><\/span><\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Arial Narrow, serif;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\"><i>30Giorni<\/i><\/span><\/span><\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Arial Narrow, serif;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\">\u00a0n. 3, marzo 2000, pp. 60-64). Sul successivo numero di maggio n. 5\/2000 della stessa rivista<\/span><\/span><\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Arial Narrow, serif;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\"><b>, p. Pfeiffer<\/b><\/span><\/span><\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Arial Narrow, serif;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\"> sment\u00ec con fermezza questa tesi replicando con un suo articolo dal titolo eloquente: \u201cMa la \u201cVeronica\u201d \u00e8 a Manoppello\u201d. Nessuna ulteriore seguito apparente su quella rivista, anche se non mancarono successivi riflessi. Tra questi ricordo come <\/span><\/span><\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Arial Narrow, serif;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\"><b>P. Germano Di Pietro<\/b><\/span><\/span><\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Arial Narrow, serif;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\">, allora superiore del <\/span><\/span><\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Arial Narrow, serif;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\"><b>Santuario del Volto Santo<\/b><\/span><\/span><\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Arial Narrow, serif;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\"> agli inizi degli anni 2000 ricevette la visita di due canonici di San Pietro che consigliarono di evitare riferimenti alla Veronica, considerato che la stessa rivista del Santuario aveva iniziato ad occuparsi del leggendario velo, alla luce di nuovi elementi che documentavano l\u2019evidente trasformazione della rappresentazione dell\u2019immagine nel corso del Seicento, prima con gli occhi aperti e poi chiusi. <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"western\" align=\"justify\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Arial Narrow, serif;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\">Poi c\u2019era l\u2019altro fronte, quello dei sindonologi, che non vedevano certo di buon occhio la riscoperta di un altro <\/span><\/span><\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Arial Narrow, serif;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\"><b>Volto di Cristo<\/b><\/span><\/span><\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Arial Narrow, serif;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\">, di maggiore evidenza e visibile ogni giorno. I primi annuali convegni internazionali furono il contesto in cui lo studioso espresse i risultati delle sue ricerche ad una platea di teologi e studiosi provenienti da tutto il mondo. Ricordo la freddezza, se non l\u2019ostilit\u00e0, con cui fu accolto nel III Congresso Internazionale, tenutosi a Roma il 30 e 31 ottobre 1999 presso l\u2019Universit\u00e0 Lateranense, dopo il clamore della conferenza stampa di cinque mesi prima, dove eccep\u00ec che la teologia, basata esclusivamente sulle sacre scritture, fosse poco preparata per dialogare con le scienze naturali. Era stato lo stesso <\/span><\/span><\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Arial Narrow, serif;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\"><b>p. Pfeiffer<\/b><\/span><\/span><\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Arial Narrow, serif;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\"> ad invitarmi. Nell\u2019occasione sottoline\u00f2 come l\u2019immagine del <\/span><\/span><\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Arial Narrow, serif;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\"><b>Volto Santo<\/b><\/span><\/span><\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Arial Narrow, serif;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\"> e quella della <\/span><\/span><\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Arial Narrow, serif;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\"><b>Sindone<\/b><\/span><\/span><\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Arial Narrow, serif;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\"> provenissero dallo stesso sepolcro e quindi fossero stati in contatto. Anche il giornalista e scrittore <\/span><\/span><\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Arial Narrow, serif;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\"><b>Paul Badde<\/b><\/span><\/span><\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Arial Narrow, serif;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\">, in un comunicato diffuso in Germania post-mortem dalla Agenzia Cattolica tedesca CNA, titolato \u201cP. Heinrich Pfeiffer in cammino verso il volto svelato di Dio\u201d, ha ricordato come lo studioso in passato fosse stato oggetto di scherno per aver \u201cosato\u201d affermare che la Veronica era stata ritrovata a Manoppello e che il Volto Santo era stato il prototipo per le raffigurazioni di Cristo nell\u2019arte, fino agli inizi del Cinquecento. Senza tanti giri di parole, Paul Badde, diversi anni prima ebbe a scrivere nel suo primo saggio dedicato al Volto Santo, riferendosi al gesuita tedesco, \u201c<\/span><\/span><\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Arial Narrow, serif;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\"><i>quel professore mi diceva che al mondo c\u2019era una immagine ancor pi\u00f9 significativa della Sindone. Solo un pazzo poteva sostenere una cosa simile e come tale mi era stato indicato padre Pfeiffer<\/i><\/span><\/span><\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Arial Narrow, serif;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\">.\u201d (cfr. P. Badde, Das Muschelseidentuch, Auf der Suche nach dem wahrem AntlitzJesu, ed. Ullstein, Berlino, 2005).<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"western\" align=\"justify\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Arial Narrow, serif;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\">Lo scenario di quegli anni fu ben descritto successivamente anche da<\/span><\/span><\/span><i> <\/i><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Arial Narrow, serif;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\"><b>Saverio Gaeta<\/b><\/span><\/span><\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Arial Narrow, serif;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\">: \u201c<\/span><\/span><\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Arial Narrow, serif;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\"><i>sembrava una sfida di un Davide contro il Golia dell\u2019esercito dei sindonologi, che trascurano di interrogarsi sul velo di Manoppello, perch\u00e9 disturba le apparentemente consolidate acquisizioni attorno ai teli funerari di Ges\u00f9<\/i><\/span><\/span><\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Arial Narrow, serif;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\">\u201d (S. Gaeta, L\u2019enigma del volto di Ges\u00f9, ed. Rizzoli, 2010). Il saggio costitu\u00ec un ampliamento della prima edizione, che usc\u00ec in allegato con il pi\u00f9 diffuso settimanale cattolico italiano &#8211; \u201cFamiglia Cristiana\u201d &#8211; uscito nella Pasqua del 2005. Fino ad allora la rivista aveva sempre ignorato il Volto Santo. <\/span><\/span><\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Arial Narrow, serif;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\">Anche <\/span><\/span><\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Arial Narrow, serif;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\"><b>p. Carmine Cucinelli,<\/b><\/span><\/span><\/span> <span style=\"font-family: Arial Narrow, serif;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\">in occasione della sua commemorazione, avvenuta il 15 dicembre 2021 nel Santuario di Manoppello, nella sua omelia ha ricordato le \u201co<\/span><\/span><span style=\"font-family: Arial Narrow, serif;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\">stilit\u00e0 e opposizioni da parte di molti colleghi gesuiti e di altri Ordini religiosi, di prelati e studiosi di Roma e di altre citt\u00e0, che accompagnarono <\/span><\/span><span style=\"font-family: Arial Narrow, serif;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\"><b>padre Pfeiffer<\/b><\/span><\/span><span style=\"font-family: Arial Narrow, serif;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\"> fino alla sua morte e che egli soffr\u00ec pazientemente, convinto che nella piccola citt\u00e0 d\u2019Abruzzo si trovasse il pi\u00f9 grande tesoro del Mondo\u201d. Tutto questo, ha continuato p. Carmine per aver sostenuto e documentato che \u201c<\/span><\/span><span style=\"font-family: Arial Narrow, serif;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\"><b>la Veronica, vera icona, o Sudario, \u00e8 il volto di Ges\u00f9 impresso nel velo al momento della resurrezione, e che la Sindone, impressa ugualmente nel sepolcro di Ges\u00f9, ritrae Cristo sofferente dopo la sua passione<\/b><\/span><\/span><span style=\"font-family: Arial Narrow, serif;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\">\u201d, affermando che \u201cSulla sua tomba si potrebbe scrivere, parafrasando le parole di san Giovanni Evangelista in visita alla tomba di Ges\u00f9 a Pasqua: \u201cVide e riconobbe!\u201d. La messa, concelebrata da p. Giovanni Ferri, p. Marian Michniak e fr. Crispino Valeri, p. Carmine, \u00e8 stata animata dalle Ancelle del Santissimo Sangue di Manoppello.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"western\" align=\"justify\"><span style=\"font-family: Arial Narrow, serif;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\"><b>P. Pfeiffer<\/b><\/span><\/span><span style=\"font-family: Arial Narrow, serif;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\"> era legatissimo al Volto Santo e quindi a Manoppello, dove \u00e8 tornato tante volte, unendo studio e venerazione della sacra immagine, trattenendosi anche per giorni, quando i suoi impegni lo consentivano, sempre ospite dei Cappuccini, oltre che per partecipare alle feste del <\/span><\/span><span style=\"font-family: Arial Narrow, serif;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\"><b>Volto Santo<\/b><\/span><\/span><span style=\"font-family: Arial Narrow, serif;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\"> o per illustrare la sacra immagine a cardinali che richiedevano la sua presenza. L\u2019ultima volta ha preso parte alle feste di maggio del 2018, seguendo la processione confuso tra devoti e pellegrini. E\u2019 stato sempre accolto con grande amicizia e stima da parte della comunit\u00e0 religiosa dei cappuccini che lo ospitavano periodicamente nel convento. Ricordo la collaborazione con <\/span><\/span><span style=\"font-family: Arial Narrow, serif;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\"><b>p. Carmine Cucinellli<\/b><\/span><\/span><span style=\"font-family: Arial Narrow, serif;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\">, allora rettore del Santuario, insieme a suor Blandina, per l\u2019allestimento della mostra inaugurata a <\/span><\/span><span style=\"font-family: Arial Narrow, serif;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\"><b>Lourdes<\/b><\/span><\/span><span style=\"font-family: Arial Narrow, serif;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\"> il primo settembre 2011 \u2013 dal titolo <\/span><\/span><span style=\"font-family: Arial Narrow, serif;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\">\u201c<\/span><\/span><span style=\"font-size: small;\"><i><span style=\"font-family: Arial Narrow, serif;\">Le Image du Christ a traver le visage de la Vierge<\/span><\/i><\/span><span style=\"font-family: Arial Narrow, serif;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\">\u201d (L\u2019immagine di Cristo attraverso il volto della Vergine), che era stata sollecitata dall\u2019allora vescovo della Diocesi di Tarbes-Lourdes, <\/span><\/span><span style=\"font-family: Arial Narrow, serif;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\"><b>Philippe Perrier,<\/b><\/span><\/span><span style=\"font-family: Arial Narrow, serif;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\"> dopo un suo pellegrinaggio a Manoppello. <\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"western\" align=\"justify\"><span style=\"font-family: Arial Narrow, serif;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\">In diversi numeri della rivista del Volto Santo ricorre la sua preziosa testimonianza, come in tante, interviste, apparizioni televisive in Italia e all\u2019estero e in vari documentari. Tante le partecipazioni a convegni, Tra queste si segnala la sua presenza al \u201c<\/span><\/span><span style=\"font-family: Arial Narrow, serif;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\"><i>Workshop Internazionale sull&#8217;Approccio Scientifico alle Immagini Acheiropoietos<\/i><\/span><\/span><span style=\"font-family: Arial Narrow, serif;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\">\u201d, organizzato dal Centro di Ricerche dell\u2019ENEA di Frascati, tra il 4 e il 6 maggio 2010 e limitato ad un confronto sulla Sindone, il Volto Santo e la Tilma di Guadalupe. <\/span><\/span><span style=\"font-family: Arial Narrow, serif;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\">Nel gennaio 2016, nell\u2019anno del Giubileo straordinario della misericordia, indetto da <\/span><\/span><span style=\"font-family: Arial Narrow, serif;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\"><b>papa Francesco<\/b><\/span><\/span><span style=\"font-family: Arial Narrow, serif;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\">, aveva partecipato alle solenne rievocazione dell\u2019antico rito di Omnis Terra, istituito da Innocenzo III nel 1208, guidando la processione che da San Pietro si rec\u00f2 con la replica del Volto Santo nella vicina Basilica di Santo Spirito in Sassia. Dopo 808 anni ritornava nella storia la <\/span><\/span><span style=\"font-family: Arial Narrow, serif;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\"><b>Veronica<\/b><\/span><\/span><span style=\"font-family: Arial Narrow, serif;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\">, che il papa portava tra i poveri e gli ammalati del pi\u00f9 antico ospedale europeo.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"western\" align=\"justify\"><span style=\"font-family: Arial Narrow, serif;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\">In un comunicato del 27 novembre 2021, l\u2019arcivescovo della diocesi Chieti-Vasto<\/span><\/span><span style=\"font-family: Arial Narrow, serif;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\"><b>, mons. Bruno Forte,<\/b><\/span><\/span><span style=\"font-family: Arial Narrow, serif;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\"> ha ricordato che \u201c<\/span><\/span><span style=\"font-family: Arial Narrow, serif;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\"><i>Padre Heinrich Pfeiffer S.J. \u00e8 stato un testimone di Cristo attraverso la ricerca, la conoscenza e l\u2019insegnamento della storia della Chiesa. Ha offerto un grande contributo allo studio del Volto Santo di Manoppello. A Lui va il mio grazie e la gratitudine della Chiesa di Chieti-Vasto\u201d, <\/i><\/span><\/span><span style=\"font-family: Arial Narrow, serif;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\">sottolineando come studiando la Sacra Sindone e il Volto di Manoppello<\/span><\/span><span style=\"font-family: Arial Narrow, serif;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\"><i> e <\/i><\/span><\/span><span style=\"font-family: Arial Narrow, serif;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\">avviando importanti ricerche su questa preziosa reliquia, \u201cche portarono a riconoscere in essa la \u201cVeronica romana\u201d, favor\u00ec il pellegrinaggio di <\/span><\/span><span style=\"font-family: Arial Narrow, serif;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\"><b>Papa Benedetto XVI<\/b><\/span><\/span><span style=\"font-family: Arial Narrow, serif;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\"> al Santuario del Volto Santo il 1\u00b0 settembre del 2006\u201d. <\/span><\/span><span style=\"font-family: Arial Narrow, serif;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\">Quella visita, che fu contrastata negli ambienti vaticani, tanto da essere annunciata solo una decina di giorni prima del primo settembre, fu un evento di straordinaria importanza nella storia del Volto Santo, del Santuario e anche nella vita di p. Pfeiffer, che vedeva implicitamente riconosciuta la fondatezza di anni di ricerca. La foto che ritrae il gesuita con <\/span><\/span><span style=\"font-family: Arial Narrow, serif;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\"><b>Benedetto XVI<\/b><\/span><\/span><span style=\"font-family: Arial Narrow, serif;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\"> rivela la cordialit\u00e0 di quell\u2019incontro, forse anche compiacimento e gratitudine da parte del papa tedesco. Il gesuita scriver\u00e0 che molti anni prima aveva sperato in una visita a Manoppello di <\/span><\/span><span style=\"font-family: Arial Narrow, serif;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\"><b>Giovanni Paolo II<\/b><\/span><\/span><span style=\"font-family: Arial Narrow, serif;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\"> e che aveva comunque consegnato all\u2019allora cardinale Ratzinger un pro-memoria sul Volto Santo. <\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"western\" align=\"justify\"><span style=\"font-family: Arial Narrow, serif;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\">R<\/span><\/span><span style=\"font-family: Arial Narrow, serif;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\">icordiamo quella visita attraverso le sue stesse parole pubblicate sulla rivista del Volto Santo n. 2, dicembre 2006, p. 30 ss.: \u201cE\u2019 di enorme e benefico significato che l\u2019attuale Papa abbia visto e contemplato con i propri occhi per lungo tempo questa immagine di Cristo che fu venerata nei secoli come la reliquia pi\u00f9 importante della Cristianit\u00e0. Forse quest\u2019oggetto preziosissimo non sarebbe mai stato conosciuto dal grande pubblico se il defunto <\/span><\/span><span style=\"font-family: Arial Narrow, serif;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\"><b>padre Domenico da Cese<\/b><\/span><\/span><span style=\"font-family: Arial Narrow, serif;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\">, cappuccino del Convento al quale fu affidato tanti secoli fa il Volto Santo, non avesse voluto mostrarlo durante il Congresso Eucaristico nazionale del 1977, svoltosi a Pescara. <\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"western\" align=\"justify\"><span style=\"font-family: Arial Narrow, serif;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\">Forse non sarebbe mai andato un Papa a far visita al Santuario abruzzese, se una notizia di questa esposizione non fosse giunta perfino in una cella di una monaca trappista di nome <\/span><\/span><span style=\"font-family: Arial Narrow, serif;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\"><b>Blandina Paschalis <\/b><\/span><\/span><em><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Arial Narrow, serif;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\"><b>Schl\u00f6mer<\/b><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/em><span style=\"font-family: Arial Narrow, serif;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\"> al convento di Maria Frieden a Dahlem nella Eifel in Germania e forse nessuno studioso si sarebbe mai occupato di questo straordinario reperto se la Suona non avesse mandato un pacco che conteneva le rue ricerche al Sindonologo <\/span><\/span><span style=\"font-family: Arial Narrow, serif;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\"><b>p. Werner Bulst<\/b><\/span><\/span><span style=\"font-family: Arial Narrow, serif;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\"> della Compagnia di Ges\u00f9, e se non fosse stato presente al momento dell\u2019arrivo di quel pacco il sottoscritto, confratello del grande e compianto studioso tedesco. Con il suo studio contenuto in quel pacco, la suora trappista ha voluto dimostrare niente di meno che la perfetta sovrapponibilit\u00e0 del Volto Santo di Manoppello con la testa che si pu\u00f2 vedere sul telo della Sindone di Torino. Ed anch\u2019io ho potuto constatare l\u2019esattezza dei suoi esperimenti e l\u2019inconfutabile risultato. Allora ho fatto, insieme con amici sindonologi romani il primo viaggio a Manoppello. Una straordinaria visione ed una nuova convinzione si sono offerte a me in quel momento: ho ritrovato la Veronica romana, da tutti gli studiosi data per perduta. Si tratt\u00f2 di un momento di grande emozione\u201d.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"western\" align=\"justify\"><span style=\"font-family: Arial Narrow, serif;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\">Qualche piccola spiegazione \u00e8 necessaria per capire la sequenza di circostanze ricordate sinteticamente da <\/span><\/span><span style=\"font-family: Arial Narrow, serif;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\"><b>P. Pfeiffer<\/b><\/span><\/span><span style=\"font-family: Arial Narrow, serif;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\">, il quale allude ad una mostra sul Volto Santo che <\/span><\/span><span style=\"font-family: Arial Narrow, serif;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\"><b>p. Domenico da Cese<\/b><\/span><\/span><span style=\"font-family: Arial Narrow, serif;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\">, del convento di Manoppello, organizz\u00f2 a Pescara nel corso della settimana del settembre 1977 in cui ebbe luogo nella citt\u00e0 adriatica il Congresso Eucaristico Nazionale, che vide la presenza conclusiva di <\/span><\/span><span style=\"font-family: Arial Narrow, serif;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\"><b>Paolo VI<\/b><\/span><\/span><span style=\"font-family: Arial Narrow, serif;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\">, il 17 settembre 1977. Padre Domenico organizz\u00f2 una piccola mostra, in locali nella disponibilit\u00e0 dei cappuccini, per colmare una lacuna degli organizzatori che avevano del tutto ignorato il Volto Santo. Qualche informazione su quella mostra arriv\u00f2 nei mesi successivi al giornalista e scrittore <\/span><\/span><span style=\"font-family: Arial Narrow, serif;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\"><b>Renzo Allegri<\/b><\/span><\/span><span style=\"font-family: Arial Narrow, serif;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\">, noto biografo di Padre Pio, che raggiunse Manoppello l\u2019anno successivo, pubblicando il suo articolo sul Volto Santo sul settimanale Gente del 30.0.1978, a pochi giorni di distanza dalla morte di p. Domenico. Lo stesso articolo fu tradotto e pubblicato il mese successivo sulla rivista cattolica svizzera di lingua tedesca <\/span><\/span><em><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Arial Narrow, serif;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\">Das Zeichen Mariens, che arriv\u00f2 nel convento tedesco dove viveva allora sr. Blandina che, occupandosi di Sindone, cominci\u00f2 a studiarla anche in rapporto con quel Volto di cui non conosceva fino ad allora l\u2019esistenza. Altra circostanza fortuita fu la presenza di p. Pfeiffer in Germania, nello studio del gesuita Werner Bulst (1913-1995), considerato allora il pi\u00f9 autorevole sindonologo tedesco.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/em><\/p>\n<p class=\"western\" align=\"justify\"><em><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Arial Narrow, serif;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\">In quell\u2019occasione l\u2019anziano <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/em><em><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Arial Narrow, serif;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\"><b>p. Bulst<\/b><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/em><em><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Arial Narrow, serif;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\"> diede la documentazione inviata dalla suora a <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/em><em><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Arial Narrow, serif;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\"><b>p. Pfeiffer<\/b><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/em><em><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Arial Narrow, serif;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\">, dicendogli \u201cTu sei a Roma, e quindi puoi occupartene tu\u201d. E\u2019 p. Pfeiffer diede anni di studio e di ricerche per comprendere la misteriosa immagine e riportarla nella storia del cristianesimo. <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/em><span style=\"font-family: Arial Narrow, serif;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\">Studiando il Volto Santo, il gesuita tedesco si era accostato alla conoscenza della figura di <\/span><\/span><span style=\"font-family: Arial Narrow, serif;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\"><b>p. Domenico da Cese<\/b><\/span><\/span><span style=\"font-family: Arial Narrow, serif;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\">. Lo stesso cappuccino, dotato di poteri soprannaturali, secondo tante testimonianze, era pervenuto in modo empirico, nei primi anni settanta, alle stesse conclusioni di p. Pfeiffer, sostenendo la tesi che il telo della Sindone e il Volto Santo provenissero dalla tomba di Ges\u00f9. P. Domenico scriveva le sue riflessioni non in saggi e riviste ma su semplici santini che distribuiva per far conoscere e venerare il Volto Santo. P. Pfeiffer sapeva anche del rapporto tra p. Domenico e P. Pio, come ho potuto riscontrare da alcune conversazioni avute con lui nel corso degli anni, durante le quali era portato a pensare alla sorte del cappuccino, morto a Torino, dove si era recato per l\u2019ostensione della Sindone. <\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"western\" align=\"justify\"><span style=\"font-family: Arial Narrow, serif;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\"><b>P. Pfeiffer<\/b><\/span><\/span><span style=\"font-family: Arial Narrow, serif;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\"> rifer\u00ec in alcune occasioni, a persone a lui vicine, di aver notato un frate, dalla corporatura possente, tra la folla in visita alla <\/span><\/span><span style=\"font-family: Arial Narrow, serif;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\"><b>Sindone<\/b><\/span><\/span><span style=\"font-family: Arial Narrow, serif;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\"> nel Duomo di Torino il 12 settembre 1978, dove lo studioso si trovava per partecipare ad un convegno sulla Sindone. La sera di quello stesso giorno, p. Domenico fu investito da un auto, morendo cinque giorni dopo in ospedale, a causa delle gravi ferite riportate. Anni dopo, <\/span><\/span><span style=\"font-family: Arial Narrow, serif;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\"><b>p. Pfeiffer<\/b><\/span><\/span><span style=\"font-family: Arial Narrow, serif;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\"> avrebbe riconosciuto quel frate studiando il <\/span><\/span><span style=\"font-family: Arial Narrow, serif;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\"><b>Volto Santo a Manoppello<\/b><\/span><\/span><span style=\"font-family: Arial Narrow, serif;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\">. Nei confronti di p. Domenico, la Congregazione per le cause dei Santi concesse il <\/span><\/span><span style=\"font-family: Arial Narrow, serif;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\"><i>Nihil Obstat<\/i><\/span><\/span><span style=\"font-family: Arial Narrow, serif;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\"> al processo di beatificazione (2015), che deve essere ancora avviato, nonostante la generosa opera di raccolta di testimonianze svolta da <\/span><\/span><span style=\"font-family: Arial Narrow, serif;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\"><b>fr. Vincenzo d\u2019Elpidio<\/b><\/span><\/span><span style=\"font-family: Arial Narrow, serif;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\">, ora scomparso, che fu suo amico e per tanti anni riferimento di migliaia di devoti e suoi figli spirituali.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"western\" align=\"justify\"><span style=\"font-family: Arial Narrow, serif;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\"> *****<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"western\" align=\"justify\">\u201c<span style=\"font-family: Arial Narrow, serif;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\">Manoppello piange padre Pfeiffer\u201d, ha titolato <\/span><\/span><span style=\"font-family: Arial Narrow, serif;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\"><b>Il Centro<\/b><\/span><\/span><span style=\"font-family: Arial Narrow, serif;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\">, il pi\u00f9 diffuso quotidiano regionale, un articolo di <\/span><\/span><span style=\"font-family: Arial Narrow, serif;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\"><b>Walter Teti<\/b><\/span><\/span><span style=\"font-family: Arial Narrow, serif;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\">, che aveva anche avuto modo di conoscerlo personalmente, per rappresentare le reazioni alla notizia della morte del gesuita tedesco, ricordando il lungo rapporto tra lo studioso tedesco e il paese abruzzese. Un sentimento di riconoscenza di cui si \u00e8 fatto espressione lo stesso sindaco, <\/span><\/span><span style=\"font-family: Arial Narrow, serif;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\"><b>Giorgio De Luca<\/b><\/span><\/span><span style=\"font-family: Arial Narrow, serif;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\">, il quale ha annunciato il desiderio di dedicargli una strada, possibilmente, proprio sul Colle dei Cappuccini, di cui p. Pfeiffer aveva certamente indicato la via a milioni di persone. Lo stesso <\/span><\/span><span style=\"font-family: Arial Narrow, serif;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\"><b>p. Pfeiffer<\/b><\/span><\/span><span style=\"font-family: Arial Narrow, serif;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\">, avrebbe voluto rimanere per sempre sepolto a Manoppello. Un desiderio che \u00e8 stato confermato anche da suor Blandina. Conosciuto, rispettato e amato da tutti, come si \u00e8 potuto constatare anche dai messaggi apparsi sulla pagina Facebook del Santuario e su altre pagine, a cominciare da quella della sua storica Universit\u00e0, che in un messaggio di cordoglio ha sottolineato come p. Pfeiffer \u201cha arricchito la Pontificia Universit\u00e0 Gregoriana con la sua dedizione accademica e la sua passione per l\u2019arte cristiana per oltre 40 anni\u2026ricordando come fossero \u201cfamosi i suoi studi sulla Cappella Sistina e sul Volto Santo di Manoppello\u201d concludendo con l\u2019auspicio: \u201cpossa contemplare la Bellezza Infinita\u201d.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"western\" align=\"justify\"><span style=\"font-family: Arial Narrow, serif;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\">Per me era una persona molto cara. Lo avevo conosciuto nel dicembre 1998 in occasione di un convegno sul <\/span><\/span><span style=\"font-family: Arial Narrow, serif;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\"><b>Volto Santo<\/b><\/span><\/span><span style=\"font-family: Arial Narrow, serif;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\"> che si tenne nel salone dell\u2019allora Casa del Pellegrino \u2013 al quale ero stato invitato, in quanto allora dirigente del turismo e responsabile di un progetto per la valorizzazione del Grande Giubileo del 2000. Davanti ad uno scarso pubblico mostrava e illustrava tante diapositive, come si usava allora, spiegando il Volto Santo e la sua storia attraverso le pi\u00f9 antiche immagini di Ges\u00f9, prima ancora che a Roma giungesse la Veronica (vera \u2013 ikon). Da allora ci frequentammo per anni. L\u2019ho incontrato pi\u00f9 volte anche presso l\u2019Universit\u00e0 Gregoriana, dove colsi sempre la sua disponibilit\u00e0 nell\u2019offrire spiegazioni, confrontandoci su varie questioni. Purtroppo qualche anno fa aveva avuto problemi di salute mentre teneva dei corsi estivi presso l\u2019Universit\u00e0 di Puebla, in <\/span><\/span><span style=\"font-family: Arial Narrow, serif;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\"><b>Messico<\/b><\/span><\/span><span style=\"font-family: Arial Narrow, serif;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\">. Lentamente si era ripreso. Due anni fa la decisione di rimanere presso la residenza degli anziani gesuiti nelle vicinanze di <\/span><\/span><span style=\"font-family: Arial Narrow, serif;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\"><b>Berlino<\/b><\/span><\/span><span style=\"font-family: Arial Narrow, serif;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\">. <\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"western\" align=\"justify\"><span style=\"font-family: Arial Narrow, serif;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\">Il primo dicembre 2019 la sua ultima breve email in cui mi aggiornava dell\u2019arrivo presso la residenza dei Gesuiti di Kladow, nei pressi di Berlino, scrivendomi: <\/span><\/span><span style=\"font-family: Arial Narrow, serif;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\"><i>\u201cCarissimo Antonio, non so se hai una volta un\u2019occasione di venire Berlino. Ti aspetto sempre e saluto te e i tuoi con inclusive benedizioni. Tuo p. Heinrich Pfeiffer<\/i><\/span><\/span><span style=\"font-family: Arial Narrow, serif;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\">.\u201d Un\u2019ultima indimenticabile testimonianza di umilt\u00e0 e di affetto per me e la mia famiglia, avendo condiviso con lui un percorso non facile \u2013 soprattutto nel corso dei primi anni \u2013 di divulgazione delle conoscenze del Volto Santo. Nei mesi successivi nessun riscontro alle mie email con cui lo informavo delle principali novit\u00e0.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"western\" align=\"justify\"><span style=\"font-family: Arial Narrow, serif;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\">Desidero ricordare come nell\u2019estate del 2018 era stato invitato da <\/span><\/span><span style=\"font-family: Arial Narrow, serif;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\"><b>Giovanni Gazzaneo<\/b><\/span><\/span><span style=\"font-family: Arial Narrow, serif;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\">, responsabile della rivista \u201cLuoghi dell\u2019Infinito\u201d, mensile del quotidiano Avvenire, a scrivere un articolo sul Volto Santo per un numero speciale per il mese di ottobre, in concomitanza con la \u201cSettimana della Bellezza: Il tuo volto io cerco\u201d, che si sarebbe tenuta a Grosseto dal 19 al 28 ottobre, dove sarebbe stata esposta una copia del velo di Manoppello, racchiusa in un reliquiario d\u2019argento del 1902. L\u2019articolo, \u201cIl velo dei segreti: l\u2019enigma di Manoppello\u201d, fu probabilmente il suo ultimo scritto pubblicato, in cui si pu\u00f2 leggere un\u2019efficace sintesi del suo lungo percorso di ricerche, con pi\u00f9 letture parallele sul piano storico che iniziava affermando che \u201cin un piccolo paese dell\u2019Abruzzo si trova nascosto uno dei pi\u00f9 grandi tesori del mondo\u201d, con il richiamo conclusivo, alla visita di <\/span><\/span><span style=\"font-family: Arial Narrow, serif;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\"><b>Benedetto XVI<\/b><\/span><\/span><span style=\"font-family: Arial Narrow, serif;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\"> e ancor pi\u00f9 a quanto affermato dal prefetto della Casa Pontificia, arcivescovo <\/span><\/span><span style=\"font-family: Arial Narrow, serif;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\"><b>Georg <\/b><\/span><\/span><span style=\"font-family: Arial Narrow, serif;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\"><b>G\u00e4nswein<\/b><\/span><\/span><span style=\"color: #4d5156;\"><span style=\"font-family: Arial Narrow, serif;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\">, <\/span><\/span><\/span><span style=\"font-family: Arial Narrow, serif;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\"> in Santo Spirito in Sassia, al termine della processione che il 16 gennaio 2016 rievoc\u00f2 il rito di Omnis Terra: \u201c<\/span><\/span><span style=\"font-family: Arial Narrow, serif;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\"><i>Si tratta di una copia di quell\u2019antico originale che papa Innocenzo IIII mostrava ai pellegrini e che da quattrocento anni \u00e8 custodito in Abruzzo, sull\u2019Adriatico, in una zona periferica dell\u2019Italia, da dove oggi per la prima volta \u00e8 stato riportato nel luogo in cui ebbe inizio il suo culto pubblico<\/i><\/span><\/span><span style=\"font-family: Arial Narrow, serif;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\">.\u201d P. Pfeiffer era tra i concelebranti, insieme a p. Carmine Cucinelli e altri religiosi, tra cui due autorevoli canonici di San Pietro, l\u2019arcivescovo libanese <\/span><\/span><span style=\"font-family: Arial Narrow, serif;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\"><b>Edmond H. Farhat<\/b><\/span><\/span><span style=\"font-family: Arial Narrow, serif;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\"> e il mons. <\/span><\/span><span style=\"font-family: Arial Narrow, serif;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\"><b>Americo Ciani<\/b><\/span><\/span><span style=\"font-family: Arial Narrow, serif;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\">.La Veronica era riapparsa nella storia della Chiesa, dopo lunghe e travagliate vicende. \u201c<\/span><\/span><span style=\"font-family: Arial Narrow, serif;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\"><i>Ma ogni ricerca \u00e8 sempre solo debitrice di una sola cosa: la verit\u00e0<\/i><\/span><\/span><span style=\"font-family: Arial Narrow, serif;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\">\u201d, scrisse l\u2019indimenticabile <\/span><\/span><span style=\"font-family: Arial Narrow, serif;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\"><b>p. Pfeiffer<\/b><\/span><\/span><span style=\"font-family: Arial Narrow, serif;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\">. <\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"western\">\n<p class=\"western\">\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p class=\"western\">TESTO IN INGLESE<\/p>\n<p class=\"western\">\n<p class=\"western\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span lang=\"en\">THE DEATH OF FR. HEINRICH PFEIFFER <\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"western\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span lang=\"en\">His studies led to<\/span><\/span> <span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span lang=\"en\">the identification of<\/span><\/span><span lang=\"en\"> the Veronica in<\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span lang=\"en\"> the<\/span><\/span><span lang=\"en\"> Holy Face<\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span lang=\"en\"> of Manoppello<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"western\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span lang=\"de-DE\">Antonio Bini <\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"western\" lang=\"de-DE\">\n<p class=\"western\" align=\"justify\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span lang=\"de-DE\">Heinrich Wilhelm Pfeiffer has died in Berlin. <\/span><\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span lang=\"en-US\">A <\/span><\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span lang=\"en\">former professor of Christian art history at the Pontifical Gregorian University in Rome and advisor to the Pontifical Commission for the Cultural Heritage of the Church, under Pope John Paul II, was born in T\u00fcbingen in 1939.<\/span><\/span> <span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span lang=\"en\">To him we owe the studies, begun in the nineteen eighties, which led to the identification of the Holy Face of Manoppello as the Veronica, formerly venerated in St. Peter&#8217;s. His research was inspired by the conclusions of <\/span><\/span><span lang=\"en\">Sister<\/span><em><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span lang=\"en\"> Blandina Paschalis Schl\u00f6mer, who demonstrated how the Holy Face was completely superimposable over the face of the Shroud. As he once told me, his entire life <\/span><\/span><\/em><span lang=\"en\">\u2013<\/span><em><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span lang=\"en\"> professional and religious \u2013 <\/span><\/span><\/em><span lang=\"en\">was dedicated to ascertaining what might be the prototype for the image <\/span><em><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span lang=\"en\">of Christ <\/span><\/span><\/em><span lang=\"en\">developed<\/span> <span lang=\"en\">in art over <\/span><em><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span lang=\"en\">the<\/span><\/span><\/em> <em><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span lang=\"en\">centuries. In 1986 he published in Italy the <\/span><\/span><\/em><span lang=\"en\">book<\/span><em><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span lang=\"en\"> of essays \u201cL\u2019immagine di Cristo nell\u2019arte\u201d (The Image of Christ in Art), Ed. Citt\u00e0 Nuova, emphasizing that it was \u00aba truly inexhaustible theme\u00bb, and in fact that much remained <\/span><\/span><\/em><span lang=\"en\">to be <\/span><em><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span lang=\"en\">written, beginning the studies <\/span><\/span><\/em><span lang=\"en\">that would later <\/span><em><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span lang=\"en\">interest him.<\/span><\/span><\/em> <em><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span lang=\"en\"> The book was later published in Germany and Spain.<\/span><\/span><\/em> <em><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span lang=\"en\">That same year <\/span><\/span><\/em><span lang=\"en\">his first trip to <\/span><em><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span lang=\"en\">Manoppello<\/span><\/span><\/em> <em><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span lang=\"en\">took place. <\/span><\/span><\/em> <em><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span lang=\"en\">In 1991 <\/span><\/span><\/em> <em><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span lang=\"en\">a first approach to the study of the Holy Face was<\/span><\/span><\/em> <em><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span lang=\"en\">published in Germany, <\/span><\/span><\/em> <em><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span lang=\"en\">under the title<\/span><\/span><\/em> <em><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span lang=\"en\"> \u00abDas<\/span><\/span><\/em> <em><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span lang=\"en\"> Turiner<\/span><\/span><\/em> <em><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span lang=\"en\"> Grabtuch<\/span><\/span><\/em> <em><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span lang=\"en\"> und <\/span><\/span><\/em> <em><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span lang=\"en\">das<\/span><\/span><\/em> <em><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span lang=\"en\"> Cristusbild\u00bb<\/span><\/span><\/em> <em><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span lang=\"en\"> (The Shroud of Turin and the Image of Christ), <\/span><\/span><\/em> <em><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span lang=\"en\">Ed.<\/span><\/span><\/em> <em><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span lang=\"en-US\">Knecht<\/span><\/span><\/em><span lang=\"en-US\">, Frankfurt, written with the<\/span><em><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span lang=\"en-US\"> German<\/span><\/span><\/em> <em><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span lang=\"en-US\">sindonologist (expert on the Shroud)<\/span><\/span><\/em> <em><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span lang=\"en-US\">Werner<\/span><\/span><\/em> <em><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span lang=\"en-US\">Bulst.<\/span><\/span><\/em><\/p>\n<p class=\"western\" align=\"justify\"><em><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span lang=\"en\">His research continued in the following years until it <\/span><\/span><\/em><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span lang=\"en\">was presented during a crowded press conference at the Foreign Press office in Italy on May 31, 1999, which opened new perspectives to the dissemination of the Holy Face in the world, just prior to Great Jubilee of 2000, which <\/span><\/span><span lang=\"en\">had<\/span> <span lang=\"en\">among its objectives also to demonstrate the historical dimension of the figure <\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span lang=\"en\">of Christ.<\/span><\/span> <span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span lang=\"en\">The extraordinary response resulting from the international communication of the news led the Municipality of Manoppello to confer upon the German scholar, on December 8, 1999, the honorary citizenship of the Abruzzo city<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"western\" align=\"justify\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span lang=\"en\">In the course of the year 2000 his book <\/span><\/span><span lang=\"en\">\u201c<\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span lang=\"en\">Il Volto Santo di Manoppello\u201d<\/span><\/span><span lang=\"en\"> was <\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span lang=\"en\">published, <\/span><\/span><span lang=\"en\">Ed<\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span lang=\"en\">. Carsa, Pescara, <\/span><\/span><span lang=\"en\">with<\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span lang=\"en\"> a preface by Cardinal Fiorenzo Angelini, <\/span><\/span><span lang=\"en\">who <\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span lang=\"en\">stated that it was \u00aba publication that decisively contributes to shedding light on the mystery of the Roman Veronica, destination of the \u201cRomei\u201d who in the Middle Ages went on pilgrimage to the tomb of the Prince of the Apostles\u00bb. Cardinal Angelini was<\/span><\/span><span lang=\"en\"> the founder <\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span lang=\"en\">and president of<\/span><\/span> <span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span lang=\"en\">the <\/span><\/span><span lang=\"en\">International <\/span><em><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span lang=\"en\">Institute <\/span><\/span><\/em><span lang=\"en\">for<\/span> <span lang=\"en\">Research on the Face of Christ <\/span><em><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span lang=\"en\">(established <\/span><\/span><\/em><span lang=\"en\">in<\/span><em><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span lang=\"en\"> Rome<\/span><\/span><\/em> <span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span lang=\"en\">on March 25, 1997), which saw Fr. Pfeiffer as a research partner.<\/span><\/span> <span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span lang=\"en\">Cardinal Angelini, at the time the only native born Roman cardinal, explained that he had wanted to follow the urging of John Paul II directed toward favoring studies on the face of Christ.<\/span><\/span> <span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span lang=\"en\">And John Paul II did not fail to take to heart what emerged from those studies<\/span><\/span> <span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span lang=\"en\">and from his repeated meetings with Cardinal Angelini,<\/span><\/span><span lang=\"en\"> so much so<\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span lang=\"en\"> as<\/span><\/span><span lang=\"en\"> to devote<\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span lang=\"en\"> ample space, in the apostolic letter Novo Millennio Ineunte, released on January 6, 2001, at the conclusion of the Jubilee, to the theme of the search for and contemplation <\/span><\/span><span lang=\"en\">of the <\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span lang=\"en\">face of <\/span><\/span><span lang=\"en\">Christ <\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span lang=\"en\">as the Church\u2019s mission for the third millennium. <\/span><\/span> <span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span lang=\"en\">This topic was completely absent from the Apostolic Letter Tertio Millennio Adveniente, published on November 10, 1994, introducing the upcoming Jubilee.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"western\" align=\"justify\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span lang=\"en\">It was not easy then for Fr. Pfeiffer and even more so for Cardinal Angelini <\/span><\/span><span lang=\"en\">to argue that the Veronica was in <\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span lang=\"en\">Manoppello, first of all because of <\/span><\/span><span lang=\"en\">the long established state of affairs <\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span lang=\"en\">that had led the Vatican to never admit that the legendary image was no longer in Rome, as it had almost <\/span><\/span> <span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span lang=\"en\">certainly <\/span><\/span><span lang=\"en\">disappeared <\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span lang=\"en\">following the Sack of Rome.<\/span><\/span> <span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span lang=\"en\">Apart from the conferences, the debate also took place in <\/span><\/span><span lang=\"en\">the <\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span lang=\"en\">media, in publications. I remember how M<\/span><\/span><span lang=\"en\">sgr. Dario Rezza, a canon of St. Peter&#8217;s Basilica and therefore part of that small number of prelates chosen by the pope to be in charge of the custody of the relics of St. Peter, had written, to counter the hypotheses of Fr. Pfeiffer, an article entitled <\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span lang=\"en\">\u00abIn <\/span><\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span lang=\"en\">St. Peter&#8217;s Basilica is kept the most famous relic in the world: the \u00absudarium of Christ\u00bb, <\/span><\/span> <span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span lang=\"en\">published in the monthly <\/span><\/span> <span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span lang=\"en\"><i>30Giorni<\/i><\/span><\/span> <span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span lang=\"en\"> n. 3, March 2000, pp. 60-64).<\/span><\/span> <span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span lang=\"en\">In the<\/span><\/span> <span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span lang=\"en\"> following <\/span><\/span> <span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span lang=\"en\">May issue <\/span><\/span> <span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span lang=\"en\">no. 5\/2000 <\/span><\/span><span lang=\"en\">of <\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span lang=\"en\">the<\/span><\/span> <span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span lang=\"en\"> same magazine, Fr. Pfeiffer <\/span><\/span><span lang=\"en\"> firmly <\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span lang=\"en\">denied<\/span><\/span> <span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span lang=\"en\">this thesis, <\/span><\/span> <span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span lang=\"en\">replying with an article of his <\/span><\/span><span lang=\"en\">own with the significant <\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span lang=\"en\">title: \u00abBut the \u00abVeronica\u00bb is in Manoppello\u00bb.<\/span><\/span> <span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span lang=\"en\">Nothing further regarding the matter appeared in the magazine, although there were subsequent repercussions.<\/span><\/span> <span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span lang=\"en\">Among these I remember how <\/span><\/span> <span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span lang=\"en\">Fr. Germano Di Pietro, then superior of the Shrine of the Holy Face <\/span><\/span><span lang=\"en\">in the early <\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span lang=\"en\">2000\u2019s <\/span><\/span> <span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span lang=\"en\">received the visit of two canons of St. Peter\u2019s who advised him to avoid references to the Veronica, considering that the Shrine\u2019s magazine had begun to deal with the legendary veil, <\/span><\/span><span lang=\"en\">in the light of new <\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span lang=\"en\">elements that documented <\/span><\/span><span lang=\"en\">the <\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span lang=\"en\">evident transformation of<\/span><\/span> <span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span lang=\"en\">the representation of the image during the seventeenth century, first with eyes open and later with them closed.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"western\" align=\"justify\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span lang=\"en\">There was the other front, that of the sindonologists, who certainly did not look kindly upon the rediscovery of another Face<\/span><\/span> <span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span lang=\"en\">of Christ, with clearer features and visible every day.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"western\" align=\"justify\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span lang=\"en\">The initial annual international conferences (organized by Cardinal Angelini\u2019s Institute) were the context in which<\/span><\/span><span lang=\"en\"> the scholar expressed the results of his research<\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span lang=\"en\"> to an audience of theologians and scholars from all over the world. I recall the coldness, if not hostility,<\/span><\/span> <span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span lang=\"en\">with which he was received at the III International Congress,<\/span><\/span><span lang=\"en\"> held in Rome on <\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span lang=\"en\">October 30 and 31, 1999<\/span><\/span> <span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span lang=\"en\"> at the Lateran University, after the clamor of the press conference five months before,<\/span><\/span> <span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span lang=\"en\">where he argued that theology, based exclusively on the sacred scriptures, was poorly prepared for dialogue with the natural sciences.<\/span><\/span> <span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span lang=\"en\">It was Fr. Pfeiffer himself who invited me. <\/span><\/span> <span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span lang=\"en\">On this occasion he emphasized how the image of the Holy Face and that of the Shroud came <\/span><\/span><span lang=\"en\">from <\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span lang=\"en\">the same tomb<\/span><\/span> <span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span lang=\"en\">and therefore had been in contact.<\/span><\/span> <span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span lang=\"en\">The journalist and writer <\/span><\/span><span lang=\"en\">Paul <\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span lang=\"en\">Badde, in a statement released in Germany<\/span><\/span> <span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span lang=\"en\">following Fr. Pfeiffer\u2019s death, by <\/span><\/span><span lang=\"en\">the German Catholic Agency <\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span lang=\"en\">CNA, entitled \u00abFr. Heinrich Pfeiffer on the way to the unveiled face of God\u201d,<\/span><\/span> <span lang=\"en\">also <\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span lang=\"en\">recalled<\/span><\/span> <span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span lang=\"en\">how <\/span><\/span><span lang=\"en\">the scholar in <\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span lang=\"en\">the past <\/span><\/span><span lang=\"en\">had been the object of <\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span lang=\"en\">ridicule for having \u00abdared\u00bb<\/span><\/span><span lang=\"en\"> to <\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span lang=\"en\">affirm that the Veronica had been found <\/span><\/span><span lang=\"en\">in <\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span lang=\"en\">Manoppello and that <\/span><\/span><span lang=\"en\">the Holy <\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span lang=\"en\">Face <\/span><\/span><span lang=\"en\">had been the prototype for <\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span lang=\"en\">the depictions of Christ in art, <\/span><\/span><span lang=\"en\">until the <\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span lang=\"en\">beginning of the sixteenth century.<\/span><\/span> <span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span lang=\"en\">Using plain words, Paul Badde, several years earlier had written in his first book dedicated to the Holy Face, referring to the German Jesuit,<\/span><\/span> <span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span lang=\"en\">\u00ab<\/span><\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span lang=\"en\"><i>that <\/i><\/span><\/span><span lang=\"en\"><i>professor had told me that in the world there was an even more significant image than the<\/i><\/span> <span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span lang=\"en\"><i>Shroud. Only a madman could support such a thing and that\u2019s how Father Pfeifer was described to me.\u00bb<\/i><\/span><\/span> <span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span lang=\"de-DE\">(cf. P. Badde, Das Muschelseidentuch, Auf der Suche nach dem wahrem Antlitz Jesu, ed.<\/span><\/span> <span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span lang=\"en\">Ullstein, Berlin, 2005).<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"western\" align=\"justify\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span lang=\"en\">The scenario of those years was well described later also by<\/span><\/span><span lang=\"en\"> Saverio<\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span lang=\"en\"> Gaeta: \u00ab<\/span><\/span><span lang=\"en\"><i>it<\/i><\/span> <span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span lang=\"en\"><i>seemed a challenge of a David against the Goliath of the army of sindonologists, who avoid questions regarding the veil of Manoppello, because it disturbs the supposedly already settled acquisitions of knowledge surrounding the burial cloths of Jesus<\/i><\/span><\/span><span lang=\"en\">\u00ab<\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span lang=\"en\">(S. Gaeta, L&#8217;enigma del volto di Ges\u00f9, ed. Rizzoli, 2010); the book was an expansion of the first edition, distributed along with the Easter 2005 issue of the most widely read <\/span><\/span><span lang=\"en\">Italian Catholic <\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span lang=\"en\">weekly <\/span><\/span> <span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span lang=\"en\">&#8211; \u00abFamiglia Cristiana\u00bb-<\/span><\/span> <span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span lang=\"en\">which until then had ignored the topic of the Holy Face).<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"western\" align=\"justify\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span lang=\"en\">Also Fr. Carmine Cucinelli, on the occasion of the Memorial service for Fr. Pfeiffer, which took place on December 15, 2021, at the Shrine of Manoppello, in his homily remembered the \u201c hostility and opposition on the part of many colleagues among the Jesuits and other religious orders in Rome and from other cities, which accompanied Father Pfeiffer until his death and that he suffered patiently, convinced that in this little city in Abruzzo is found the greatest treasure of the world.\u201d All this, continued Fr. Carmine for having affirmed and documented that \u201cthe Veronica, true icon, or Sudarium, is the face of Jesus imprinted on the veil at the moment of the resurrection, and that the Shroud, equally imprinted in the tomb of Christ, depicts Christ suffering after his passion.\u201d Stating that \u201con his gravestone could be written, paraphrasing the words of St. John the Evangelist during his visit to the tomb of Jesus at Easter: \u2018He saw and recognized!\u2019\u201d.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"western\" align=\"justify\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span lang=\"en\">The Mass, concelebrated by Fr. Giovanni Ferri, Fr. Marian Michniak, Fr. Carmine, assisted by Br. Crispino Valeri. The music was led by the Handmaids of the Most Precious Blood of Manoppello. <\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"western\" align=\"justify\"><span lang=\"en\">Fr. Pfeiffer was very attached to the Holy Face and therefore to Manoppello, where he returned many times, combining study and veneration of the sacred image, staying even for days, when his commitments allowed him, always a guest of the Capuchins, as well as to participate in the feasts of the Holy Face or to describe the sacred image to cardinals who requested his presence. The last time he took part in the May festivities was in 2018, walking along the procession mixed in among the devotees and pilgrims. He was always welcomed with great friendship and esteem by the religious community of the Capuchins who periodically hosted him in the friary. I remember his collaboration with Fr. Carmine Cucinellli, then rector of the Shrine, together with Sister Blandina, for the preparation of the exhibition inaugurated in Lourdes on September 1, 2011 \u2013 entitled <\/span><span style=\"font-size: medium;\"><span lang=\"en\">\u00abLe <\/span><\/span><i><span lang=\"en\">Image du Christ a traver le visage de la Vierge\u00bb<\/span><\/i><span lang=\"en\">(The Image of Christ through the face of the Virgin), which had been requested by <\/span><span lang=\"en\">the<\/span> <span lang=\"en\">bishop at that time <\/span><span lang=\"en\">of <\/span><span lang=\"en\">the <\/span><span lang=\"en\">Diocese of Tarbes-Lourdes, <\/span><span lang=\"en\">after his pilgrimage <\/span><span lang=\"en\">to Manoppello.<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"western\" align=\"justify\"><span lang=\"en\">His precious testimony appeared in quite a few issues of the magazine of the Holy Face, as well as in a great many interviews, television appearances in Italy and abroad and in various documentaries. He participated in many conferences. Noted among these was his presence at the \u201cInternational <\/span><span lang=\"en\"><i>Workshop on the Scientific Approach to Acheiropoietos Images<\/i><\/span><span lang=\"en\">\u201d, organized by the ENEA Research Center of Frascati on May 4-6, 2010, dedicated to a comparison of the Shroud, the Holy Face and the Tilma of Guadalupe.<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"western\" align=\"justify\"><span lang=\"en\">In January 2016, in the year of the Extraordinary Jubilee of Mercy, proclaimed by Pope Francis, he had taken part in the solemn re-enactment of the ancient rite of Omnis Terra, instituted by Innocent III in 1208, leading the procession that went from St. Peter with the replica of the Holy Face to the nearby Basilica of Santo Spirito in Sassia. After 808 years there returned to history the Veronica, which the pope used to bring to the poor and sick of the oldest hospital of Europe.<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"western\" align=\"justify\"><span lang=\"en\">In a statement of November 27, 2021, the archbishop of the diocese Chieti-Vasto, Msgr. Bruno Forte, recalled that \u00abFather <\/span><span lang=\"en\"><i>Heinrich Pfeiffer S.J. was a witness to Christ through the research, knowledge and teaching of the history of the Church. He made a great contribution to the study of the Holy Face of Manoppello. To him goes my thanks and the gratitude of the Church of Chieti-Vasto\u00bb, <\/i><\/span> <span lang=\"en\">underlining how studying the Holy Shroud and the Face of Manoppello<\/span> <span lang=\"en\"><i> and <\/i><\/span><span lang=\"en\"> initiating important research on this precious relic, \u00abwhich brought about the recognition of it as the \u00abRoman Veronica\u00bb, promoting the pilgrimage of Pope Benedict XVI to the Shrine of the Holy Face on September 1, 2006&#8243;.<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"western\" align=\"justify\"><span lang=\"en\">That visit, which was opposed in Vatican circles, so much so that it was announced only about ten days before the first of September,<\/span> <span lang=\"en\"> was an <\/span><span lang=\"en\">event of extraordinary importance in the history of the Holy Face, of the Shrine and also in the life of <\/span><span lang=\"en\">Fr. Pfeiffer,<\/span> <span lang=\"en\"> who implicitly saw recognized in it <\/span><span lang=\"en\">the validity of<\/span><span lang=\"en\"> his years of <\/span> <span lang=\"en\">research.<\/span> <span lang=\"en\">The photo that portrays the Jesuit with Benedict XVI reveals <\/span> <span lang=\"en\">the cordiality of that meeting, perhaps even the pleasure and gratitude<\/span> <span lang=\"en\">on the part of the German pope.<\/span> <span lang=\"en\">The Jesuit will write that many years earlier he had hoped for a visit to Manoppello by John Paul II and that he had even delivered to the then Cardinal Ratzinger a report<\/span><span lang=\"en\"> on the<\/span><span lang=\"en\"> Holy Face.<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"western\" align=\"justify\"><span lang=\"en\">We recall<\/span><span lang=\"en\"> that visit through his own words published in the magazine of the Holy Face n. 2,December 2006, p. 30 ff.: \u00abIt is of enormous and beneficial significance that the current Pope has seen and contemplated at length with his own eyes this image of Christ which was venerated over the centuries as the most important relic of Christianity. Perhaps this precious object would never have been known by the general public if the late Father Domenico da Cese, Capuchin of the friary to whom the Holy Face was entrusted many centuries ago, had not wanted to show it during the National Eucharistic Congress of 1977, held in Pescara. Perhaps a Pope would never have gone to visit the Shrine of Abruzzo, if news of this exhibition had not also reached a cell of a Trappist nun named Blandina Paschalis <\/span><em><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span lang=\"en\">Schl\u00f6mer<\/span><\/span><\/em><span lang=\"en\"> at the convent of Maria Frieden in Dahlem in the Eifel region in Germany and perhaps no scholar would have ever dealt with this extraordinary find if the nun had not sent a package containing her research to the sindonologist Fr. Werner Bulst of the Society of Jesus, and if there had not been present at the time of the arrival of that package the undersigned, confrere of the late great German scholar. With her study contained in that package, the Trappist sister wanted to demonstrate nothing less than the perfect overlap of the two images: the Holy Face of Manoppello, and the head that can be seen on the cloth of the Shroud of Turin. And I too have been able to see the accuracy of her experiments and the irrefutable result. So I made, together with Roman sindonologist friends, the first trip to Manoppello. An extraordinary vision and a new conviction were offered to me at that moment: I had found the Roman Veronica, given up for lost by all scholars. It was a moment of great emotion.\u00bb<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"western\" align=\"justify\"><span lang=\"en\">Some small explanation is necessary to understand the sequence of circumstances briefly recalled by Fr. Pfeiffer, who alluded to an exhibition on the Holy Face that Fr. Domenico da Cese, of the friary of Manoppello, organized in Pescara during the week of September 1977 in which the National Eucharistic Congress took place in the Adriatic city, which saw the last pastoral visit of Pope Paul VI, on September 17, 1977.<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"western\" align=\"justify\"><span lang=\"en\">Father Domenico organized a small exhibition, in rooms available to the Capuchins, to make up for an oversight by the organizers of the Eucharistic Congress who had completely ignored the Holy Face. Some information about that exhibition arrived in the following months to the journalist and writer Renzo Allegri, a well-known biographer of Padre Pio, who traveled to Manoppello the following year, publishing his article on the Holy Face in the Italian weekly publication <\/span><span lang=\"en\"><i>Gente<\/i><\/span><span lang=\"en\"> of September 30,1978, a few days after the death of Fr. Domenico. The same article was translated and published the following month in the German-speaking Swiss Catholic magazine <\/span><span lang=\"en\"><i>Das Zeichen Mariens<\/i><\/span><em><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span lang=\"en\">, which arrived in the German convent where Sr. Blandina had been devoting herself to the Shroud of Turin. She began to study it also in relation <\/span><\/span><\/em><span lang=\"en\">to that Holy Face of which she previously had been unaware.<\/span><em><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span lang=\"en\">. Another fortuitous circumstance was the presence of Fr. Pfeiffer in Germany, in the study of the Jesuit Werner Bulst<\/span><\/span><\/em> <em><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span lang=\"en\"> (1913-1995), then considered the most authoritative German sindonologist.<\/span><\/span><\/em><\/p>\n<p class=\"western\" align=\"justify\"><em><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span lang=\"en\">On that occasion the elderly Fr. Bulst gave to Fr. Pfeiffer the documentation sent by the nun, telling him <\/span><\/span><\/em> <em><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span lang=\"en\">\u00abYou are (working) in Rome, and therefore <\/span><\/span><\/em><span lang=\"en\">you can take care <\/span><em><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span lang=\"en\">of it\u00bb. And Fr. Pfeiffer gave years of study and research to understand the mysterious image and to bring it back into the history of Christianity.<\/span><\/span><\/em><\/p>\n<p class=\"western\" align=\"justify\"><span lang=\"en\">Studying the Holy Face, the German Jesuit became aware of the figure of Fr. Domenico da Cese. The capuchin himself, endowed with supernatural powers, according to many testimonies, had arrived empirically, in the early seventies, to the same conclusions as Fr. Pfeiffer, asserting the thesis that the cloth of the Shroud and that of the Holy Face came from the tomb of Jesus. Fr. Domenico wrote his reflections not in essays and magazines but on simple holy cards that he distributed to promote the knowledge and veneration of the Holy Face. Fr. Pfeiffer also knew about the relationship between Fr. Domenico and Padre Pio, as I could tell from several conversations I had with him over the years, during which he was led to reflect upon the fate of the Capuchin, who died in Turin, where he had gone for the exposition of the Shroud. Pfeiffer reported on some occasions, to people close to him, that he had noticed a friar, of powerful build, among the crowd visiting the Shroud in the Cathedral of Turin on September 12, 1978, where the scholar was to participate in a conference on the Shroud. On the evening of that same day, Fr. Domenico was hit by a car, dying five days later in the hospital, due to the serious injuries he suffered. Years later, Fr. Pfeiffer would recognize that friar while studying the Holy Face in Manoppello. With regard to Fr. Domenico, the Congregation for the Causes of Saints granted a <\/span><span lang=\"en\"><i>nihil Obstat<\/i><\/span><span lang=\"en\"> to the process of beatification (2015), which has yet to be opened, despite the generous work of gathering testimonies undertaken by Brother Vincenzo d&#8217;Elpidio, now deceased, who was his friend and for many years the guide for thousands of devotees and spiritual children of Fr. Domenico.<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"western\" align=\"justify\"><span lang=\"en\"> *****<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"western\" align=\"justify\"><span lang=\"en\">\u00abManoppello mourns Father Pfeiffer,\u00bb headlined Il Centro, <\/span><span lang=\"en\">the most <\/span><span lang=\"en\">widespread regional newspaper in Abruzzo,<\/span><span lang=\"en\"> in an article by<\/span><span lang=\"en\"> Walter Teti, <\/span> <span lang=\"en\">who had also <\/span><span lang=\"en\">had <\/span><span lang=\"en\">the opportunity to know him personally, <\/span> <span lang=\"en\">to present the reactions to the news of the death of the German Jesuit, <\/span> <span lang=\"en\">recalling<\/span> <span lang=\"en\"> the long relationship between the German scholar and the town of Abruzzo. A feeling of gratitude of which the mayor himself, Giorgio De Luca, <\/span><span lang=\"en\">had <\/span><span lang=\"en\">expressed, who announced <\/span> <span lang=\"en\">the desire to dedicate a street to him, possibly, right on the hill of the Capuchins to <\/span><span lang=\"en\">which <\/span><span lang=\"en\">Fr. Pfeiffer had certainly shown the way to millions of people. <\/span> <span lang=\"en\">Fr. Pfeiffer himself, would have liked to remain buried forever<\/span> <span lang=\"en\">in Manoppello.<\/span> <span lang=\"en\">A desire that was also confirmed by Sister Blandina.<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"western\" align=\"justify\"><span lang=\"en\">Known, respected and loved by all, as can also be seen from the messages that appeared on the Facebook page of the Shrine and on other pages,<\/span><span lang=\"en\"> starting with that<\/span><span lang=\"en\"> of his historic University, <\/span><span lang=\"en\">which in a message of <\/span><span lang=\"en\">condolence <\/span> <span lang=\"en\">underlined how <\/span> <span lang=\"en\">Fr. Pfeiffer \u00abhas enriched the Pontifical Gregorian University with his academic dedication and his passion for Christian art for <\/span><span lang=\"en\">over <\/span><span lang=\"en\">40 years<\/span> <span lang=\"en\"> ..<\/span> <span lang=\"en\">\u00abRecalling how \u00abfamous (are) his studies on the Sistine Chapel and on the Holy Face of Manoppello\u00bb concluding with the hope:<\/span> <span lang=\"en\"> \u00abmay he contemplate the Infinite Beauty\u00bb.<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"western\" align=\"justify\"><span lang=\"en\">He was a person very dear to me. I had met him in December 1998 on the occasion of a conference on the Holy Face that was held in the hall of the Casa del Pellegrino \u2013 to which I had been invited, being the managing director, at that time, of tourism in Abruzzo and heading up a project for the development of tourism during the Great Jubilee of the Year 2000. In front of a scarce audience he showed and described many slides, as were used back then, explaining the Holy Face and its history through the oldest images of Jesus, even before the Veronica (vera \u2013 ikon) arrived in Rome. From then on we frequently met together through the years. I also met him several times at the Gregorian University, where I always saw his willingness to offer explanations, discussing together various matters. <\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"western\" align=\"justify\"><span lang=\"en\">Unfortunately, a few years ago he suffered some health problems while teaching summer courses at the University of Puebla, Mexico. Slowly he had recovered. Two years ago came the decision for him to stay at the residence for elderly Jesuits near Berlin.<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"western\" align=\"justify\"><span lang=\"en\">On the first of December 2019 I received his last short email<\/span> <span lang=\"en\">in which he updated me about his arrival at the <\/span><span lang=\"en\">Jesuit residence <\/span><span lang=\"en\">in <\/span> <span lang=\"en\">Kladow, near Berlin, writing to me: <\/span> <span lang=\"en\"><i>\u00abDear Antonio, I don\u2019t know if you might sometime have a chance to come to Berlin. I always look forward to seeing you and greet you and yours with inclusive blessings. Your Fr. Heinrich Pfeiffer.\u00bb<\/i><\/span><span lang=\"en\"> A last <\/span> <span lang=\"en\">unforgettable <\/span> <span lang=\"en\">testimony of humility and <\/span><span lang=\"en\">affection for me and<\/span><span lang=\"en\"> my family, <\/span> <span lang=\"en\">having<\/span> <span lang=\"en\">shared with him a not easy path \u2013 especially <\/span> <span lang=\"en\">during the first years \u2013 of dissemination of the knowledge of <\/span><span lang=\"en\">the Holy <\/span><span lang=\"en\">Face. In the following months no reply came to my emails<\/span><span lang=\"en\"> with which<\/span><span lang=\"en\"> I had informed him of the<\/span> <span lang=\"en\">latest important happenings.<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"western\" align=\"justify\"><span lang=\"en\">I would like to recall how in the summer of 2018 he was invited by<\/span><span lang=\"en\"> Giovanni<\/span><span lang=\"en\"> Gazzaneo, <\/span> <span lang=\"en\">editor of \u00abLuoghi dell&#8217;Infinito\u00bb,monthly magazine of the newspaper Avvenire,<\/span><span lang=\"en\"> to write an article on the <\/span><span lang=\"en\">Holy Face for a special issue <\/span> <span lang=\"en\">for the <\/span><span lang=\"en\">month of <\/span><span lang=\"en\">October, <\/span> <span lang=\"en\">in conjunction with the \u00abWeek of Beauty: Your face I seek\u00bb, which would be held in Grosseto from October 19 to 28, where a copy of<\/span> <span lang=\"en\"> Manoppello&#8217;s veil <\/span><span lang=\"en\">would be <\/span><span lang=\"en\">exhibited, enclosed in a silver reliquary dating from 1902.<\/span> <span lang=\"en\">The article, \u00abThe veil of secrets: the enigma of Manoppello\u00bb, was probably his last published writing, in which one can read an effective synthesis of his long <\/span><span lang=\"en\">path <\/span><span lang=\"en\">of research, with several parallel readings<\/span> <span lang=\"en\">on the historical level<\/span><span lang=\"en\"> that began<\/span><span lang=\"en\"> by stating that \u00abin a small town in Abruzzo one of the greatest treasures in the world is hidden\u00bb, <\/span> <span lang=\"en\">with the concluding reference, to the visit of Benedict XVI and, as well, to what was stated<\/span><span lang=\"en\"> by the Prefect of the<\/span><span lang=\"en\"> Papal Household, Archbishop Georg <\/span> <span style=\"color: #4d5156;\"><span lang=\"en\">G\u00e4nswein<\/span><\/span><span style=\"color: #4d5156;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\"><span lang=\"en\">,<\/span><\/span><\/span> <span lang=\"en\">in the church of Santo Spirito in Sassia, <\/span><span lang=\"en\">at the end of the procession that on January <\/span><span lang=\"en\">16, 2016 <\/span> <span lang=\"en\">recalled <\/span> <span lang=\"en\">the rite of Omnis Terra: <\/span> <span lang=\"en\">\u00ab<\/span> <span lang=\"en\"><i> It is a copy of that ancient original that Pope Innocent IIII showed to pilgrims and that for four hundred years has been kept in Abruzzo, on the Adriatic, in a peripheral area of Italy, from where today for the first time it has been brought back to the place where its public worship began.<\/i><\/span><span lang=\"en\">\u00bb Fr.<\/span> <span lang=\"en\"> Pfeiffer was among the concelebrants, along with Fr. Carmine Cucinelli and other religious, including two authoritative canons of St. Peter&#8217;s, the Lebanese archbishop Edmond H. Farhat and <\/span> <span lang=\"en\">Msgr. Americo Ciani.<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"western\" align=\"justify\"><span lang=\"en\">Veronica had <\/span> <span lang=\"en\">reappeared in the history of the Church, after a long and troubled series of events. \u00abBut all research is always only a debtor to one thing only: the truth,\u00bb wrote the unforgettable Fr. Pfeiffer. (Translation by Ray Frost)<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"western\" align=\"justify\"><span lang=\"en\">.<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>LA SCOMPARSA DI P. HEINRICH PFEIFFER I suoi studi avevano portato ad identificare la Veronica, la vera immagine di Cristo [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[43,10],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-19329","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-historias","category-italiano"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ecoitaliano.com.ar\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/19329","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ecoitaliano.com.ar\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ecoitaliano.com.ar\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ecoitaliano.com.ar\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ecoitaliano.com.ar\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=19329"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.ecoitaliano.com.ar\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/19329\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ecoitaliano.com.ar\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=19329"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ecoitaliano.com.ar\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=19329"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ecoitaliano.com.ar\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=19329"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}