Author Jerome Corsi moves from Swift Boats to the Shroud

The author of some highly controversial political works, 'The Obama Nation' and "Unfit for Command', has just released a new novel that is rooted in devotion to his Catholic faith and his lifelong study of the Shroud of Turin ."The Shroud Codex" was published in coordination with the scheduled six week exhibition of the Shroud in Turin, Italy; the first time it has been on display in ten years. A contract has already been signed for a movie.

Shop Timeless Catholic Gifts

WASHINGTON, DC (Catholic Online) - When most people hear the name of the New York Times bestselling author, Dr. Jerome R. Corsi, they immediately think political non-fiction. His latest work, however, takes the reader on a spiritual and scientific adventure entitled, "The Shroud Codex" (Simon and Shuster)

The book focuses on the Shroud of Turin and a physicist-turned-priest, Fr. Paul Bartholomew, who is given a divine mission to reveal the mystery of the Shroud.

A devout Catholic, Jerome Corsi first encountered the Shroud during a retreat at St. Ignatius High School in Cleveland, OH when he was 17. "In my senior year in high school," Corsi explains, "we had a retreat and during one of the sessions they showed us pictures of the Shroud of Turin.

"I had never heard about it before and these blew me away. I just followed it over the years and, in 1998, when the Shroud was exhibited I went to see it in person. I was there two or three days and saw it multiple times. It just made a huge impact on me.

"It's always been a subject of fascination. I've collected books on it and read about it. This was always something I wanted to write about."

Knowing that he could reach a much broader audience, Corsi decided to write a novel that would integrate the faith issues of the Shroud with developments of modern science. He wanted to show how these could assist in unlocking the secret of this cloth upon which is the image of the crucified Christ.

"I didn't want this to merely become something that read like an article in Scientific American," he stated, instead choosing to write his first fiction novel.

With the title "The Shroud Codex," comparisons to Dan Brown's recent book "The DaVinci Code" was natural, which the author welcomed. He recognizes that Brown really established the genre of religious mystical fiction. As a Christian, Corsi was eager, however, to produce a work that would be a believer's alternative.

"I had Dan Brown in mind, as well as Michael Crichton, when I was writing the book," he stated. "These were the two authors I was thinking most about in terms of what I was wanting to accomplish."

He knew the book might have a few obstacles in acceptance and more than a few critics as he was respectful of Catholic Church and took the Lord Jesus Christ seriously in its pages.

We're Back - Greatest Meat on Earth

In the story, Corsi develops an interesting collaboration between science and faith, especially in the realm of modern particle physics. "The intriguing thing to me is that the higher levels of science are converging with faith. For example, scientists talk a lot about the 'big bang,' which, to believers, sounds a lot like Genesis where God says, 'Let there be light!'"

"In the secular - or atheistic - world that we live in you would think that science leads away from religion, disproves religion. But I think the fact is that a deeper appreciation of science really only draws you closer to religion and faith."

"The Shroud Codex" was published in coordination with the scheduled six week exhibition of the Shroud in Turin, Italy; the first time it has been on display in ten years. With plenty of media coverage and over 1.5 million tickets already reserved, Corsi's publisher knew this would be the perfect time to unveil the book.

The Vatican has been very receptivel. Corsi presented copies of the book to officials prior to its publication. It was also authorized to be sold in the Turin bookstore for the current exposition.

He will be present in Turin, as a reporter, during the Pope's visit and then has an invitation to return to the Vatican for another visit.

When asked about the possibility of a film, Corsi stated that a contract has already been signed for a movie with Dr. Ted Baehr, an media specialist and Chairman of the Christian Film and Television Commission, serving as Executive Producer.

He also hinted that we should look for a sequel where some of the other story lines will be resolved.

Receiving a Ph.D. from Harvard University in Political Science in 1972, Corsi currently serves as a senior staff reporter for WorldNetDaily, where he works as an investigative reporter.

During the 2004 elections, he was the co-author of a book about John Kerry called "Unfit for Command - Swift Boat Veterans Speak Out Against John Kerry." Then in the recent presidential campaign, he penned "The Obama Nation: Leftist Politics and the Cult of Personality."

His other books include "Atomic Iran. How the Terrorist Regime Bought the Bomb and American Politicians," "Black Gold Stranglehold: The Myth of Scarcity and the Politics of Oil," and "Rebuilding America: A Prescription for Creating Strong Families, Building the Wealth of Working People, and Ending Welfare."

He is currently working on another book about President Obama as well as one on "abiotic fuel," a special interest of his.

-----
Randy Sly is the Associate Editor of Catholic Online. He is a former Archbishop of the Charismatic Episcopal Church who laid aside that ministry to enter into the full communion of the Catholic Church.

---

'Help Give every Student and Teacher FREE resources for a world-class Moral Catholic Education'