FACT CHECK: Is The Pope Opening Up Five ‘Sacred Portals’ In A New Ritual?
A post shared on X claims that Pope Francis is opening up five “sacred portals” in a “ritual that has never been done before.”
🚨BREAKING: Pope to Open 5 Sacred Portals on Christmas Eve, This Ritual Has NEVER Been Done Before!
The door at St. Peter’s was sealed shut by a wall of bricks, but on Dec. 2 they were ripped down to ready the door as part of ‘The Rite of Recognition’
Starting on Dec. 24, the… pic.twitter.com/CqTVuSDYAB
— Jay Anderson (@TheProjectUnity) December 12, 2024
Verdict: Misleading
The “ritual” or the opening of the Holy Doors has been done since 1300 A.D. The Holy Door being opened at a Roman prison, though, has not been done before.
Fact Check:
Social media users are claiming that Pope Francis is opening five “sacred portals” in a ritual that “has never been done before.”
“BREAKING: Pope to Open 5 Sacred Portals on Christmas Eve, This Ritual Has NEVER Been Done Before! The door at St. Peter’s was sealed shut by a wall of bricks, but on Dec. 2 they were ripped down to ready the door as part of ‘The Rite of Recognition’ Starting on Dec. 24, the pontiff will open a series of five Holy Doors throughout the Vatican, including St. Peter’s Basilica. This specific ritual has NEVER been done before. we live in VERY strange times folks. What is going on? What does it mean? Why now?” one user wrote.
This claim is misleading. Pope Francis is opening Holy Doors for the 2025 Jubilee Year, according to Vatican News. The ‘Jubilee’ is the name given to a particular year; the name comes from the instrument used to mark its launch, per the Jubilee website.
It also states:
“‘Holy Year,’ since it is a time in which God’s holiness transforms us. The frequency of Holy Years has changed over time: at first, they were celebrated every 100 years; later, in 1343 Pope Clement VI reduced the gap between Jubilees to every 50 years, and in 1470 Pope Paul II made it every 25 years. There have also been “extraordinary” Holy Years: for example, in 1933 Pope Pius XI chose to commemorate the 1900th anniversary of the Redemption, and in 2015 Pope Francis proclaimed the Year of Mercy as an extraordinary jubilee. The way in which Jubilee Years are marked has also changed through the centuries: originally the Holy Year consisted of a pilgrimage to the Roman Basilicas of St. Peter and St. Paul, later other signs were added, such as the Holy Door. By participating in the Holy Year, one is granted a plenary indulgence.”
Pope Francis is opening a holy door at a prison, which would happen for the first time during an ordinary Jubilee Year, though opened one during the 2015 Jubilee Year of Mercy, according to Denver Catholic. Pope Francis explained in a papal bull that “In order to offer prisoners a concrete sign of closeness, I would myself like to open a Holy Door in a prison, as a sign inviting prisoners to look to the future with hope and a renewed sense of confidence.”
“The celebration of Jubilee years dates at least to the 14th Century though it locates its origins on the Jewish Jubilee every fifty years. The practice of Holy Doors at the Lateran Basilica (and subsequently the other three major basilicas) is at least as old as the 15th Century though probably older,” Check said.
He further said, “The Holy Door at the prison for a Jubilee is an innovation of Pope Francis’s. This is the first time this has been done in a Jubilee Year but not the first time in a Holy Year. He designated one at a prison during the Year of Mercy.”
The origin of the claim that it has never been done before appears to be a Dec. 9 New York Post article with the headline, “Pope Francis to open 5 sacred portals on Christmas Eve — for a ritual that’s never been done before.”
Check Your Fact reached out to the publication for comment.
