The Campus Ministry office at Newman University will present “Trial of the Shroud of Turin” at 7 p.m., Wednesday, Oct. 27, in the Dugan-Gorges Conference Center inside the Dugan Library and Campus Center at Newman University. The event is free and open to the public. The event will feature Larry Schauf presenting an examination of the evidence of whether the Shroud of Turin is the true burial cloth of Jesus or a medieval hoax.
Schauf recently retired after practicing law for 36 years, during which time he served as a federal prosecutor for the District of Kansas and a corporate attorney for Pizza Hut, Inc. Positions in his corporate law career ranged from Senior Vice President, General Counsel and Secretary of Wendy’s International, Inc., to similar positions at Jack in the Box, Inc. Schauf and his wife Merlene were raised in Wichita, and Larry graduated from Kapaun Mt. Carmel Catholic High School.
In 1996, Schauf began studying the Shroud of Turin. His research led him to discussions with scientists who have studied the Shroud and to the International Shroud Symposium. Schauf also sits on the board of the Shroud of Turin Education and Research Association
As Schauf began to realize how little people knew about the Shroud and how much of that supposed knowledge was false – problems he attributes to the media failing to report the facts – his legal background came back into play. He wondered about proving the authenticity of the Shroud the way a prosecutor in the courtroom tries to prove his case – beyond a reasonable doubt.
This led to the “Trial of the Shroud of Turin,” first presented in 2009. Schauf presents the strongest evidence on both sides of the debate on whether the Shroud is authentic or a hoax. At the conclusion of the presentation, the audience serves as a jury and casts their votes based on what they have learned during the presentation. A question and answer session is held while the “ballots” are counted.
In addition to his work on the “Trial of the Shroud of Turin” presentation, Schauf is trying to raise funds to produce a 3D television documentary of the same name as well as a feature-length film to help spread more information about the Shroud of Turin.
For more information about Schauf’s presentation at Newman, contact the Campus Ministry Office, 942-4291, ext. 2422.
