“back and forth” in search of the real Holy Grail

2024-03-25 09:24:42

On March 26th at 10:35 p.m. on ORF 2; afterwards: “Padre Pio and the stigmata: portrait of a controversial saint”

Vienna (OTS) – The search for the Holy Grail is one of the greatest myths of Christianity. This mysterious object is said to be the cup from which Jesus and his disciples drank at the Last Supper. It is said that whoever possesses it defeats his enemies, can raise the dead and becomes immortal. But no one knows what this powerful mystery looks like or even where it is. In the “criss-cross” documentary “The Search for the Real Holy Grail” by Marie Linton on Tuesday, March 26, 2024, at 10:35 p.m. on ORF, 2 scientists follow the trail of the Grail to Israel, Spain and France .
At 11:20 p.m., ORF Italy correspondent Cornelia Vospernik paints the portrait of a controversial saint in her film “Padre Pio and the stigmata”.

“The Search for the Real Holy Grail” – A film by Marie Linton

The spectacular search for the Grail begins in Jerusalem – in the hall where pilgrims traditionally commemorate the Last Supper that Jesus celebrated with the twelve apostles on the evening before his death on the cross. But what did the cup look like? The Bible does not describe his appearance. Clay vessels, archaeological finds from the excavations at Qumran on the Dead Sea, which date back to the time of Jesus, could provide clues. They have hardly been shown publicly so far: they are simple ceramic mugs. There is much to suggest that this is what the cup of the Last Supper might have looked like in the hands of the propertyless itinerant preacher from Nazareth.
But the famous relic that is venerated in Valencia is of a completely different kind: the cup made of precious agate is said to have come to Rome and later to Spain through the Apostle Peter. Only later was it mounted on a shaft with a raised base, and even later it was equipped with handles. This gave the cup the appearance of a chalice.

However, the identification of the term “Grail” with the cup of the Last Supper only appeared in the Middle Ages. The late 12th-century French author Chrétien de Troyes’ novel, Parzival, or the Story of the Grail, was destined to reach all of Europe. There the Grail is a kind of Celtic talisman. Only later did the term acquire a Christian meaning.
The film’s search for the Holy Grail leads to the persecuted Cathars in France, who were said to be in possession of the mysterious object that raises the dead and gives eternal life.

“Padre Pio and the Stigmata: Portrait of a Controversial Saint” – A film by Cornelia Vospernik

Hardly anyone else who has been elevated to the honor of Catholic altars is as highly revered and criticized as Padre Pio of Pietrelcina (1887–1968). The Capuchin priest, who bore the stigmata, the wounds of Christ, on his own body, was considered by many to be a charismatic and miraculous man. But the Vatican itself temporarily banned Pio from appearing in public, and critics accused the priest of inducing the stigmata himself with a corrosive substance. ORF correspondent Cornelia Vospernik paints a nuanced picture of the dazzling religious, who has found enormous resonance, especially in the emotional popular piety of southern Italy.