Free talks on the Shroud of Turin this weekend in Richland, Kennewick

Two free talks on the Shroud of Turin are planned this weekend in the Tri-Cities.

Bob Rucker of Richland, a Shroud researcher, is the presenter.

The talks are at 10 a.m. Saturday at the Richland Public Library, 955 Northgate Drive; and at 2 p.m. Sunday at the Mid-Columbia Libraries branch at 1620 S. Union St., Kennewick.

They’re kicking off a lecture tour by Rucker that includes presentations in California, Oregon, Washington and Vancouver, British Columbia. The lectures are sponsored by the Test the Shroud Foundation.

The Shroud of Turin is a linen cloth bearing the image of a crucified man. Many believe it to be Jesus’ burial shroud, although that hasn’t been conclusively proven.

“Over the 117 years since a photographic negative of the linen unexpectedly revealed the image of a tortured body, ranks of physicists and chemists have weighed in on the fabric’s age and the image’s composition. Forensic pathologists, microbiologists, and botanists have analyzed its bloodstains, along with specks of dirt and pollen on its surface. Statisticians have combed through mountains of data. The sum result is a standoff, with researchers unable to dismiss the shroud entirely as a forgery, or prove that it is authentic,” journalist Frank Viviano wrote in National Geographic in 2015.

Rucker, a nuclear engineer who’s been studying the Shroud full-time for about three years, believes it’s the real deal.

Through research and testing, “we’re trying to explain the mysteries of the shroud,” he said.

Along with the lecture tour, Rucker is organizing the International Conference on the Shroud of Turin, set for July 19-22 at TRAC in Pasco.

Researchers from around the world will present their work on the Shroud during the event. To learn more or sign up, go to shroudconference2017.com.

This story was originally published March 31, 2017 at 8:44 PM with the headline "Free talks on the Shroud of Turin this weekend in Richland, Kennewick."