Carbon dating casts doubt on age of St. Francis robe

[snopes]

Carbon dating has cast doubt on the authenticity of one of four robes kept by Italian churches as relics of the medieval Saint Francis of Assisi, though another tunic, a belt and a cushion were found to be the right vintage.

http://uk.reuters.com/article/oddlyE...86082220070905

[BlueStar]

Don't worry, carbon dating is already "junk science" by virtue of it not matching up with the world only being 6000 years old.

[Mycroft]

As relics tended to be openly displayed and handled in the past, they are liable to contamination, especially at the edges where samples for dating are taken to minimize damage. This is the main excuse for the Turin Shroud's Medieval dating. In this case the likelihood is a later copy of an original due to deterioration (or fraud)