Dear Anthony:

I have read the recent reports that certainly do confirm that the shroud is from the 1st Century, contains human blood, and is a man who was crucified. It is interesting to note that the shroud shows the man who has nailed in his wrists, which was the practice of the Romans in the 1st Century. The medieval people were not aware of this.

Anyway, to your question, I see no discrepancy here. Because of the significance of the face in tradition and in theology, a smaller cloth was placed over the face as reported by St. John. Next, the practice was to place a shroud over the corpse, which covers the entire body, including the head and face. Then, additional burial cloths may be wrapped around the body. This is why the shroud itself, did not have marks or indications of "wrapping" around the body in the way the outer wraps of a mummy, for example, is wrapped.

What I outlined is a possible theory that fits the facts as we know them. Your question, however, may never definitively be answered. We may never really know if this person imprinted on the Shroud is actually our Lord. 

Blessed Pope John Paul II stated in 1998 that: "Since it is not a matter of faith, the Church has no specific competence to pronounce on these questions. She entrusts to scientists the task of continuing to investigate, so that satisfactory answers may be found to the questions connected with this Sheet". [read entire document]

My personal opinion is the the shroud is the shroud of our Lord.

God Bless,
Bro. Ignatius Mary