The 1988 Carbon 14 tests indicating the cloth dated from the 14^th Century had already been discredited. Among the problems, the tiny samples used for the test were taken not from the original linen of the Shroud, known to be an ancient weave used in Palestine at the time of Christ, but from repair patches sewed on it after a 1532 fire.

My book SHROUD was published by Macmillan in 1977. It was the first Shroud book of the modern era and spawned many others. One of the quirks of the story has always been that the modern Church stood aloof  from the Shroud. It was owned by the King of Italy, not the Church. And in an age of science and growing agnosticism, it feared backing what might be a phony relic. But the fact that the Vatican has now released these documents means the Church believes they are authentic. If they are, it’s one more argument for the Shroud containing evidence of the resurrection.

Following is the London Times story about the newly-discovered documents:  TIMES Online.