Today, Benedict visited Manoppello:

Benedict XVI will be the first Pope to visit the Shrine of the Holy Face of Manoppello, home of what many believe is Veronica’s veil.

The Pope will visit the shrine Friday, arriving by helicopter to the small town in the Abruzzo region, some 200 kilometers (124 miles) from Rome.

The Holy Face is a veil of 17 by 24 centimeters (6.8 by 9.6 inches), with a controversial history.

True to form, Benedict linked the purported relic and its veneration to some spiritual truths:

At this shrine, Benedict XVI talked about the quest and love for that face. “Those who meet Jesus, who allow themselves to be drawn by him and who are prepared to follow him to the point of sacrificing their lives, live in God already on this earth, attracted and transformed by the splendour of his face. This is the experience of true friends of God, the saints, who have recognized and loved in their brothers, especially the poorest and the neediest, the face of that God long contemplated with love in prayer. They are encouraging examples for us to imitate; they assure us that if we travel this path with faithfulness, the way of love, we too – as the Psalmist says, will have our fill of the presence of God (cfr Ps 16 [17], 15). But “to enter into communion with Christ and to contemplate his face, to recognize the face of the Lord in that of our brothers and in daily events, ‘innocent hands and pure hearts’ are necessary. Innocent hands, that is, an existence illuminated by the truth of love that wins over indifference, doubt, deceit and egotism. And pure hearts are also a must: hearts captivated by divine beauty, as the little Teresa of Lisieux tells us in her prayer to the Holy Face, hearts that bear the face of Christ. Dear priests, if the holiness of his Face remains impressed in you, shepherds of the flock of Christ, do not be afraid, even the faithful entrusted to your care will be touched and transformed. And you, seminarians, who are preparing to be responsible leaders of the Christian people, do not allow yourselves to be drawn by anything other than Jesus and the desire to serve his Church. I wish to say the same to you, members of religious orders, men and women, that all your activities may be a visible reflection of divine goodness and mercy.”

Also per usual, the English translators at the Italian news agency AGI (who memorably quoted Benedict as remembering some cardinals who had "kicked the bucket" last year), who are either quite messed-up computer programs or human beings who need to go back to Translator School, provide us with a completely unenlightening tidbit of another angle to the story:

Benedict XVI is visiting the Saintly Face of Manoppello ‘out of curiosity’. His visit today at the sanctuary of Manoppello – which some researchers consider as the real image of Christ (‘la Veronica’, that is, ‘la vera icona’, ‘the real icon’) – does therefore not represent any official recognition. Supposedly, it was a photo taken by the German cardinal Meiszner and then given to him before he had been elected, that made the pope curious. The episode has been revealed by the Jesuit Heinrich Pleiffer who teaches iconography and art history at the Gregorian pontifical university. Cardinal Meiszner was not present during the first day preceding the conclave in which Ratzinger had gathered together all the theologians of the Vatican, because cardinal Meiszner had ‘naughtily’ decided to go to Manoppello and take that picture. The arrival of the pope at Manoppello is envisaged at 9.45. The rector of the sanctuary, father Carmine Cucinelli, will be there waiting for him.

Well, whatever.

Of more importance is that the Archbishop of this area is Bruno Forte, a widely respected theologian. He welcomed the Pope to the area this morning.

Update: After its August break, Vatican Information Service is back in business and has a short report:

The Holy Father entered the shrine in the company of Archbishop Bruno Forte of Chieti-Vasto. Following a moment of adoration before the Most Holy Sacrament and a prayer before the relic of the Holy Face, the Pope addressed some words to those present.

"Those who meet Jesus," he said, "those who let themselves be attracted by Him and are ready to follow Him even unto the sacrifice of their lives, personally experience, as He did on the cross, how only the ‘grain of wheat’ that falls to earth and dies brings ‘much fruit’."

"This is the way of Christ, the way of total love that triumphs over death," said Pope Benedict, adding: "This is the experience enjoyed by those true friends of God, the saints, who have recognized and loved in their brethren, especially in the poorest and most needy, the face of God long contemplated with love and prayer. They are encouraging examples for us to follow."

"In order to enter into communion with Christ and contemplate His face," the Pope went on, our lives must be "illuminated by the truth of love which overcomes indifference, doubt, lies and egoism."