Vatican correspondent for German newspaper Die Welt, journalist Paul Badde was intrigued when he heard of a mysterious image in a remote Italian village — an image of a man's face on byssus cloth. Byssys, or sea silk, is a rare and delicate fabric woven from a silky filament produced by mollusks. It is claimed that the fabric is so thin and delicate that it is impossible to paint on — yet the image in Manoppello is clearly visible and, moreover, when laid over the image of the face of the Shroud of Turin forms a perfect match. Read more

The Book

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Paul Badde, born in 1948, is a best-selling author and renowned journ- alist and historian. Since 2000 he has been an editor of the German newspaper Die Welt, first as the Jerusalem correspondent and now as the Vatican correspondent in Rome. He is also the author of Maria of Guadalupe: Shaper of History, Shaper of Hearts and The Heavenly City. Read more